Tag: Jose Mourinho

Chelsea face Man City without Diego Costa

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Chelsea’s prospects of inflicting a defeat on champions Man City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday were dealt a hefty blow with the news that Diego Costa has received a three-match ban.

The striker was charged with violent conduct for stamping on Emre Can during Chelsea’s midweek victory over Liverpool. Claims that the incident was accidental were presumably brushed aside in view of the fact that Costa had produced a very similar challenge on Martin Skrtel later in the match, although the Liverpool player was also guilty of retaliation.

The ban will provide further for conspiracy theorists, Jose Mourinho among them, who believe that there is a campaign against the Premiership leaders. The loss of Costa is a big blow for Saturday’s late kick-off but it could be even worse if Cesc Fabregas also fails to recover from his hamstring injury. The Spaniard is on course to break all records for assists in Premiership football this season and the Blues would undoubtedly miss his creativity in midfield.

Chelsea currently hold a five-point advantage over the champions and there must be an increasing likelihood that they would view a point as a good result. The Blues have won all ten home games so far this season and were only pegged back in the 85th minute in the reverse fixture by a certain Frank Lampard. Allowing Lampard to play in a City shirt this season via New York must go down as a case of neglect by Chelsea. It has already cost them dearly with Lampard rescuing City on several occasions, not just in that 1-1 draw at the Etihad.

City are not exactly on fire at the moment having been beaten by Arsenal in Middlesbrough in their last two games. They will take the FA Cup loss on the chin but they were below par against Arsenal and still do not have Yaya Toure back from the Africa Cup of Nations. The more I look at this match, the more I fear a dour stalemate. If the name of Mikel features in the Blues line-up it seems to safe to assume that Chelsea would settle for a point. It is more a match that neither side can afford to lose than one that they have to win.

Chelsea v Man City DRAW @5-2 Bet365

Chelsea 1 Man City 1 @6-1 Bet365*

*Bet365 will refund correct score bets if the game ends in a 0-0 Bore draw

Chelsea can gain upper-hand in Cup Semi-Final

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Chelsea moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League on Saturday with a superb 5-0 victory at Swansea. Champions Man City were unable to respond when beaten 2-0 by Arsenal on Sunday and the two teams are set to clash at Stamford Bridge next weekend. The Blues now turn their attentions to the small matter of a Capital One Cup semi-final first leg at Anfield on Tuesday night.

Clashes between Liverpool and Chelsea are rarely without drama and this is unlikely to be an exception. The Reds were beaten 2-1 here earlier in the season by Jose Mourinho’s side and are still bitter about last season’s 2-0 defeat, a result which effectively ended their title hopes. There were also those epic Champions League clashes with the “ghost goal” and the incredible 4-4 result at the Bridge. Chelsea have certainly had the edge when it has mattered most, beating Liverpool in Cup finals for this trophy and the FA Cup.

It is slightly surprising that the two-legged format for the semi-finals still exists, given the European commitments of top Premiership sides these days. Chelsea can approach this game knowing that a draw would make them favourites to reach Wembley while Liverpool will be hoping that the Blues show the defensive weaknesses that were exposed by Tottenham recently.

Chelsea have not conceded in three games since and scored ten in the process so the signs are not that encouraging for Brendan Rodgers. He is likely to recall Steven Gerrard who will be desperate to atone for his slip that let in Demba Ba last season. Liverpool are on a very good run of form having only lost once in fourteen matches.

The Reds have tightened up their own defence after a sloppy start to the season and have been getting the results without doing anything spectacular. Apart from a 4-1 win over Swansea, they have still looked short of ideas going forward and may struggle to break through here. They took the lead earlier in the season, courtesy of a wicked deflection. This could end in a draw and it may be worth taking the 1-1 with William Hill, given that a “bore draw” will earn a refund.

It is difficult to be confident about Chelsea’s starting line-up but, assuming Ivanovic starts, he looks over-priced at 28-1 to break the deadlock. He has his own reasons for remembering this match after his clash with Luis Suarez. Ivanovic was in great form at Swansea and is dangerous from dead-ball situations.

Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1 @6-1 William Hill*

*0-0 money refunded on correct score bets up to max. £50

Branislav Ivanovic to score first @28-1 BetVictor

Premier League Preview Nov 29th – 30th

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

If Chelsea could replay one match from last season it would be the home game against Sunderland in April. They suffered their first loss at Stamford Bridge under Jose Mourinho after an incredible run of 77 games.

They had taken the lead early on but failed to convert several chances before allowing Sunderland back into the game. In desperately chasing a winner, they were caught out on the break and a slip from Azpilicueta resulted in a penalty that gave Sunderland all three points. The game ended with angry scenes as Mourinho’s assistant Rui Faria was sent to the stands after confronting referee Mike Dean.

After Chelsea’s brilliant performance in beating Schalke 5-0 away on Tuesday, they will be looking to continue their dominance in the Premier League with a win at the Stadium of Light. Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas continue to impress and it may be worth taking a chance on the latter scoring first on Saturday. He has scored more goals against Sunderland than he has against any other Premiership side.

The early kick-off is at the Hawthorns where Arsenal will be anxious to return to winning form in the League. They have lost their last two matches against Swansea and Manchester United but steadied the ship by securing their place in the knockout phase of the Champions League on Wednesday.

Alexis Sanchez is in unstoppable form at the moment but the man to support here could be Olivier Giroud. He missed the game against Dortmund as he omitted from the Champions League squad through injury. He looked very sharp when coming on and scoring against United last week.

Man United have crept quietly into the top four after a poor start. Their last-gasp equaliser against Chelsea and win at Arsenal have suddenly given the team renewed confidence. They should brush aside a dour Hull City side without too much difficulty with Rooney and Di Maria likely goal scorers.

Liverpool are something of a mystery at the moment and did not exactly shine with a 2-2 draw against Ludogorets in midweek. They are at home to Stoke and would gladly take three points in any way, shape or form right now. They should just manage it but possibly by just a single goal.

Sunday’s action features high-flying Southampton against Man City. The Saints dropped points at Villa Park on Monday and most pundits will be waiting for them to start their inevitable slide down the table over Christmas. They have some tough games ahead of them but at least they catch City on the rebound from their epic clash with Bayern Munich. Take Southampton to hold out for another draw despite the presence of Sergio Aguero.

Olivier Giroud to score and Arsenal win @9-4 Paddy Power

Cesc Fabregas to score first v Sunderland @9-1 Ladbrokes

Diego Costa to score and Chelsea win @6-5 Ladbrokes

Man United to win by 3 or more goals @31-10 Boylesports

Wayne Rooney to score and United win @7-5 Bwin

Angel Di Maria to score first v Hull @6-1 Bet365

Liverpool to win by a single goal @11-4 Skybet

Southampton and Man City DRAW @23-10 Skybet

Costa to strike again for Chelsea

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho has been stressing the importance of Chelsea securing their place in the knockout phase of the Champions League this week.

The Blues currently sit top of their group and have two matches to play but a win over Schalke would be good enough. That would give them the luxury of playing a dead rubber against Sporting Lisbon in their final match, something that Mourinho would greatly appreciate with the Christmas fixture list looming.

Chelsea have dominated the early part of the season in the Premier League, so much so that bookmakers Paddy Power have already paid out on them winning the title! That may be a little premature but you certainly cannot take anything for granted in the Champions League.

Schalke grabbed an unlikely point in the reverse fixture on a night when Chelsea failed to take a string of opportunities to move into a two-goal lead. Schalke’s class players on the night were the scorer Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and the provider Julian Draxler. The loss of Draxler for this match will be a severe blow to Schalke as he looked dangerous throughout at Stamford Bridge.

Schalke are now managed by former Chelsea player and coach Roberto Di Matteo who took in October. No Chelsea fan will ever forget Di Matteo’s relatively short spell in charge, winning the FA Cup and a first ever Champions League for the Blues. He has only been at Schalke for six weeks so it is ironic that he comes face to face with Chelsea so quickly. The German side are currently second in the group but vulnerable with Sporting Lisbon just one point behind them.

Chelsea remain unbeaten in all competitions despite a scare at Maribor in their last group match. In the end, they could and should have won the game but Eden Hazard uncharacteristically fluffed his penalty kick. I don’t expect Chelsea to treat this game with anything less than full commitment and that has so far proved more than enough for most teams. If anything, the Blues have looked sharper away than they have at home.

The speed with which Hazard and Willian launch their counter-attacks is breath-taking but the decisive factor has to be Diego Costa. There has been much debate about his fitness in recent weeks but he looked sharp against West Brom on Saturday and looks tempting at around the 4-1 mark to open the scoring. Backing Costa and Chelsea to win has been a winning formula this season and could easily be the answer again on Tuesday.

Diego Costa to score first @4-1 Paddy Power

Diego Costa to score and Chelsea to win @19-10 Ladbrokes

Chelsea to win by one goal @11-4 Skybet

Premier League Preview Oct 4th – 5th

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

After a busy week of European football, the best of the Premier League action is reserved for Sunday.

Chelsea host Arsenal with the Gunners still smarting from their 6-0 thrashing in Arsene Wenger’s 1000th game in charge. The Blues raced into a 2-0 lead in the first seven minutes before Kieran Gibbs was sent off for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin’s handball. Things went from bad to worse for Wenger and it seemed for a while that his long reign at Arsenal was drawing to a close.

The FA Cup and Champions League qualification were sufficient to give him a lifeline for this season and Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Galatasaray has raised expectations yet again for their supporters. Their form has been patchy in the League and their recent record against Chelsea is poor.

Jose Mourinho’s side had much the tougher Champions League fixture this week in a gruelling encounter with Sporting Lisbon. Diego Costa spent as much time on the floor as on his feet on Tuesday night but Mourinho is adamant that he will start on Sunday. If teams become fixated in stopping Costa, Chelsea have plenty of other players capable of hitting the target. Take Chelsea to edge it by a single goal.

Manchester United host Everton on Sunday with the Toffees returning from a 1-1 draw in Russia on Thursday. United obviously have no European distractions this week so have a huge advantage. Their incredible 5-3 defeat at Leicester reminded United fans that it takes more than £150million of talent to make a team. Van Gaal will have been working overtime in trying to sort out their defensive frailties and this looks like a game that they can win.

Southampton continued their incredible run to second in the table by beating QPR last week. The spelling may be slightly different but Pelle lived up to his name with a wonder goal to seal the three points. They travel to Tottenham on Sunday and a meeting with old boss Mauricio Pochettino. Spurs have had their ups and downs this season but played well at Arsenal and this could result in a draw.

Liverpool suffered a 1-0 defeat in Basel on Wednesday and their Champions League prospects look bleak with two matches against Real Madrid ahead of them. Their league form has been indifferent and a home game against West Brom on Saturday is exactly the sort of game to pose problems. Rather like United, they are having trouble moulding a team out of a bunch of talented individuals and Brendan Rodgers will be looking for signs of improvement here.

Manchester City were held by Roma on Wednesday and now travel to Aston Villa. A draw was not the result that they were hoping for but they played well against a good side. Frank Lampard continues to impress and he has scored more goals against Villa than any other Premiership side. I would be surprised if he doesn’t play a part on Saturday and City can grab a comfortable three points.

Liverpool 1 West Brom 0 @15-2 BetVictor

Aston Villa 1 Man City 3 @12-1 William Hill

Frank Lampard to score first @7-1 Paddy Power

Man United 3 Everton 0 @15-1 BetVictor

Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1 @8-1 Bet365

Tottenham 1 Southampton 1 @13-2 BetVictor

Premiership 2014/15 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The leading Premiership sides are busily concluding their summer transfers but Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho believes that his work is already completed.

The signature of Brazilian International Felipe Luis alongside that of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas has given the Blues a significantly stronger squad than last season as they bid to improve on their third place.

Mourinho had always insisted that last season was very much part of a learning curve for his young side but there was a deep-rooted feeling of disappointment among the fans as they ended the season without a trophy. The Blues had completed a double over Manchester City and Liverpool yet somehow contrived to drop points against inferior opposition over the closing weeks.

The progress of sweeping out the old guard is all but complete with Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard both departing in the summer. John Terry did enough to convince Mourinho that he had another season left in him at the top flight while Petr Cech is fighting to keep his number one spot.

Champions Man City have added Fernando to their squad but will be largely unchanged while Arsenal’s signing of Alexis Sanchez has done little to convince punters that a title bid is on the cards. The arrival of Van Gaal at Manchester United comes with the promise of further signings after Luke Shaw’s capture from Southampton. United were so far off the pace last season that they will have to pull something out of the hat if they are to challenge this year.

Liverpool fans must have mixed feelings about the departure of Luis Suarez. It was he and Sturridge that carried the Reds to the brink of the Premiership title last season but his World Cup antics were swiftly followed by a move to Barcelona. Southampton old boys Lallana and Lambert will not be sending any shockwaves through Stamford Bridge or the Etihad Stadium.

It is difficult to see the likes of Everton and Tottenham managing to muscle in on the act, although they will have their usual moments of optimism in a long season.

The bookmakers have probably got it about right with Mourinho’s Chelsea just rated favourites ahead of Man City. The best price is just shy of 2-1 at the moment with City at 9-4 and Man United at 5-1. There are already markets up for top goalscorer, relegation and the next manager to leave their post.

Chelsea to win Premiership @15-8 Bet365