Portsmouth v Chelsea
English Premier League
Fratton Park – Portsmouth, England
24 March 2010 – 19:45 GMT
Chelsea need a win at Portsmouth on Wednesday to keep pace with English Premier League leaders Manchester United.
Portsmouth v Chelsea Preview
Chelsea will need to rebound from Sunday’s disappointing draw at Blackburn which put them four points back of Manchester United in the EPL table. Portsmouth, who were recently deducted points for going into financial administration. They are last in the Premier League table with 13 points and 14 points clear of safety.
Chelsea will have starting goalkeeper Petr Cech back from injury but will be without Michael Essien, Ashley Cole, Jose Bosingwa, and Branislav Ivanovic. Portsmouth’s injuries are Tal Ben-Haim, John Utaka, Hassan Yebda, and Kevin-Prince Boateng. Portsmouth have little to play for as they will almost definitely be relegated.
It’s a crucial match for Chelsea who need a win to keep pace in the title race. Manager Carlos Ancelotti has targeted 85 points as the total needed to win the EPL title in May. Chelsea are 20 points from that with eight matches to play so they will need at least six wins and two draws to reach that goal.
Didier Drogba remains the club’s top scorer and scored their lone goal against Blackburn. One of the players who needs to step for Chelsea is Nicolas Anelka, who has only eight goals in the EPL this season. That’s significantly down from 19 last season and not scored in his last 10 matches.
It should be a victory for Chelsea because they are the better team and still have a lot left to play for this season.
| Last Five Matches in Competition | |
| Portsmouth | Chelsea |
| Hull City 3-2 | @Blackburn Rovers 1-1 |
| @Liverpool 4-1 | West Ham United 4-1 |
| Birmingham 1-2 | Manchester City 2-4 |
| @Burnley 1-2 | @Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 |
| Stoke City 1-2 | @Everton 2-1 |
Portsmouth v Chelsea Prediction
Chelsea will win the match 3-1.
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