Previews

Chelsea can finally clinch the Premier League title this weekend with a win over Crystal Palace. The Blues won at Leicester on Wednesday night opening up a 13 point gap between them and second place. Now all they need to bring the Premier League trophy back to Stamford Bridge for the first time in five years is three points at home to a mid-table Palace side that has little to play for.

It looks like a pretty straightforward task, but Palace have an excellent away record under Alan Pardew. They’ve won seven out of eight away matches since he took over in January, and he’ll be hoping to claim his biggest scalp yet as the Eagles go chasing a record points total and a first ever top half finish in the Premier League.

While that’s Palace’s goal, Chelsea are on course for the league title, as they look to add it to the League Cup that they won earlier in the season. You could see after the Arsenal and Leicester games just how much those points meant to them, and it seems like the squad now firmly believe that they’re champions. There’s still some work to do, as pointed out by John Terry at the King Power on Wednesday.

There is a scenario where the Blues could slip up and win it without playing, on Monday night – they just have to match Arsenal’s result at Hull to put it beyond doubt. The league leaders won’t be letting that thought cross their minds, as they will be focused on victory in front of their own fans, finally sealing the title after leading the table since the opening day of the season.

Ahead of this game, Diego Costa faces a late fitness test to see if he can return from his hamstring injury, while Loic Remy seems to be ruled out. Didier Drogba led the line once again on Wednesday, and he picked up a much needed goal to boost his confidence. While he doesn’t match up to the dominant powerhouse he was in his first spell, he still knows where the goal is.

There’s doubt it would be a much easier game if Costa was passed fit, but there seems to be enough goals from midfield now to replace him. High scoring midfielders was something Jose Mourinho loved in his first spell, and he’s still promoting it if Wednesday night was anything to go by. Both Matic and Ramires were at the edge of the Foxes’ box just after going 2-1 up, with the Brazilian scoring an excellent strike from range.

That shows how ridiculous the debate over Mourinho’s so called boring style of play is. They’ve been far and away the best side in the league this season, and they played some excellent stuff early on in the campaign. That’s still there on Wednesday’s evidence, even without Costa, and we expect the Blues to blow away Palace and win the title in style.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 3-0

Chelsea head in to their meeting with Leicester on Wednesday night knowing that six points from their next two games would bring the Premier League title back to Stamford Bridge. The Blues have a 10 point lead to protect, and they head to the King Power Stadium for their game in hand with the chance to widen that advantage, but they will face stiff competition against an in-form side.

Nigel Pearson has led his side to four straight wins that have turned them from odds-on favourites for the drop to within four points of safety. They propped up the table for most of the season, but their remarkable run has them close to securing a second season in the top flight, and a win in this game would have them on the verge of sealing their survival.

There’s plenty for both sides to play for here, so we shouldn’t expect a game like the one at the Emirates on Sunday. Leicester have been banging in the goals of late, and they’ll come into this one with a lot of confidence and very little to lose. Expect them to put pressure on the league leaders’ back four, and they’ll probably provide a sterner test than Arsenal did.

Chelsea will be hoping to be able to field a striker on Wednesday, after having to start Oscar as a false nine in their game at Arsenal. Didier Drogba wasn’t fit enough to start, while Loic Remy and Diego Costa were both ruled out. Remy is definitely out, but Costa could return despite failing a fitness test before the Emirates trip. Oscar suffered a suspected concussion in that game, but he should return in time for the trip to the KP.

It’s doubtful that anyone will want to sit out the final few games before the title is confirmed, and there’ll be plenty of time for resting the big stars in the final few games. After the Blues lift the title, you can expect to see a few of the young prospects getting a run out in the first team ahead of a rumoured jump up to the first team squad next season.

After making the switch to 4-3-3 on Sunday, expect Mourinho to move back to a 4-2-3-1 system for this one, with one of the central midfielders making way. We may see a little bit of rotation with three games in a week to deal with, with the likes of Kurt Zouma or Filipe Luis making an appearance.

With the title so close, the Blues have to go out and finish it now. They could lift the trophy on Sunday, which would mean they would have it finished with three games to spare. With all the sides behind them slipping up across the season, this is the time for the leaders to record back to back wins and show that they’ve been far and away the best team in the division this year.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 2-1

Chelsea head to the Emirates on Sunday to take on second placed Arsenal, knowing that a win would put them within three points of finally confirming the Premier League title. With a 10 point lead now between the sides, it seems to be more a question of when, not if, Chelsea will be crowned league winners.

The big question mark is, can they win it this month? Wins this weekend and then in their trip to Leicester the following Wednesday would be enough, but are they in good enough form to win at the Emirates? While they are on a 12 game unbeaten run, they’ve been far from their best in recent weeks.

The Manchester United result last week was a big win, but when you look at the stats the league leaders were barely in the game. They got their goal on the counter attack and United couldn’t do enough to get back into it, but there wasn’t that swagger or confidence that we saw in the team early on this season. Of course, this is the time of the year for teams to dig in and get result when things are against them, but how long can Chelsea keep doing that?

At home at Stamford Bridge where the pitch is a little smaller and where their record is so good, you can grind out results. It becomes harder when you go to the side second in the table, who are bang in form, playing some great stuff and desperately trying to prevent you from winning the title. There are ways to play against that, dropping deep and going on the counter, something Mourinho isn’t adverse to. The difficulty with that is having the right striker.

Sadly, Didier Drogba isn’t the right striker anymore. He used to terrorise Arsenal, but he’s lost the power and pace he once had, and he’s looking like a placeholder upfront. With Diego Costa 100% out, the fitness of Loic Remy could be what decides this game. He’s got that pace on the counter, and he was in great form before his injury. Should he make it in time to play, that would be a huge boost for Chelsea’s title push.

Arsenal had their own injury worries early in the season, but with most of their squad fit, they’ve gone on a nine game winning streak that has them into the FA Cup final and to second place in the Premier League. They’re no pushovers, and they know that they can’t afford to drop points if they want to finish the season as runners up.

It’s going to be a tight game, but Mourinho’s record in these kinds of matches should just swing it. His side are unbeaten against their top four rivals from last season and this season so far, not to mention his unbeaten record against Wenger. Having the title on the line adds extra significance, making this the kind of game that suits Mourinho down to the ground.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 1-0

This weekend Chelsea host Manchester United at Stamford Bridge and it’s an opportunity to widen the gap between them and the chasing pack. The in-form Red Devils will surely be a challenge, especially after they blew City away 4-2 at Old Trafford last week. They’re fighting for second place, and they’d love nothing more than to achieve that by closing the gap on the leaders.

Ahead of this weekend, Chelsea are currently seven points ahead of Arsenal and eight clear of United, with a game in hand on both. This weekend, the Gunners are at Wembley for the FA Cup semi final, so this is essentially the Blues’ game in hand on their rivals. Win here, and they’ll have a 10 point lead over Arsenal, with just six games remaining for both sides.

Of course, they’d also be 11 points ahead of United, having played a game less, so a win here could have them on the verge of confirming the title. Even though it’s hard to see anyone catching them at this point, Jose Mourinho will want things wrapped up as quickly as possible. They can take a big step towards that this weekend, but first they have to figure out a way past the Red Devils.

United have been in excellent form of late, beating Liverpool away and City at home to pretty much secure a top four spot and to get themselves in contention to finish second. They’ve been playing some excellent stuff, and Louis van Gaal seems to have created a way for his expensively assembled forwards and midfield to work together. Given the form that Chelsea have been in lately, it’s only their home record that has them as favourites here.

In recent league meetings, the Blues are unbeaten in their last four against United. In Premier League history, only three teams have ever gone five or more matches against them without losing. Could Mourinho lead his men into that elusive club? Or will the resurgence of Juan Mata, Marouane Fellaini and United hand the league leaders their first home defeat of the season? At this stage, it’s a close one to call.

Diego Costa is missing from this clash, just as he was in the first meeting between the two at Old Trafford earlier this season. He’s out until next month, and second choice striker Loic Remy joined him on the injury table. Remy missed last week’s win over QPR with a calf problem, so Didier Drogba started, with Izzy Brown on the bench. It’s not yet known if Remy will start on Saturday, but having him back would be a huge boost ahead of this game.

With so much on the line, Mourinho may be tempted to go for the jugular in this one, but his team’s recent performances probably don’t lend itself to that. His first aim will be to stop the visitors’ attacks in their tracks, before hitting them on the counter. It may not be enough, but it is hard to see Mourinho losing a game of this size.

LCN Verdict: 1-1 draw

Chelsea are looking to close in on the Premier League title with a win over local rivals QPR on Sunday. The Blues face Rangers right before third and fourth go head to head in the Manchester derby. With just five wins needed to claim the title, those two games could send the trophy that little bit closer to Stamford Bridge, should the results go the right way.

The title race took a big turn last week, as Manchester City slipped further behind with a defeat at Crystal Palace. The champions’ 2-1 defeat left them fourth, a point behind United and two off Arsenal. The Gunners are now Chelsea’s closest rivals, although they sit seven points behind having played a game more, with only six matches left of the season. It looks to be too big a gap to make up, but nothing is certain right now.

For all his confidence and swagger, Jose Mourinho isn’t about to celebrate the title before it is won. He made a point of stating the number of points needed in his post match interview, and you can imagine he was doing the same in the dressing room. With no other distractions, getting these results is all the Blues need to focus on, even performances take a back seat at this stage. The win over Stoke was far from an impressive display, but they got over the line in the end.

Next up is QPR, who are stuck in the bottom three and look set for relegation. They did get a big morale boosting win over West Brom last week, and a decent enough points at Villa Park in midweek, and they’ll be hoping to carry that good form on here. Loftus Road hasn’t always been the kindest of venues for Chelsea, despite the R’s league struggles. Had this match come early in the season you’d have expected a tough test, but Rangers’ great early form at home has dried up, which has seen them slip into the drop zone.

With a fully fit squad to pick from here, this game shouldn’t be too much of a challenge. Chris Ramsey’s side are 19th for a reason, and we’ve seen the Blues come through much tougher challenges than this over the campaign. Even though there is a little room for error with their lead at the top, five wins from seven is the aim right now, and that’s likely to shrink soon given how inconsistent some of the challengers have been.

But still, with the likes of Arsenal, United and Liverpool still to play in the final seven games, the team can’t afford slip ups against the likes of QPR. This should be a comfortable three points, which would be a step closer to lifting the title. If it isn’t, with some tough fixtures coming up, the chasing pack will be given hope. We may not have a full on title race, but there’s still little room for excitement. But Chelsea should win this one with room to spare.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 3-1

Chelsea return to action after the international break on Saturday evening, as they face Stoke at Stamford Bridge. The Blues will have the chance to take a temporary nine point lead at the top of the table, with Manchester City not in action until Monday night. With just nine matches left to play, the league leaders could take a big step towards the title with a win this weekend.

Since Stoke got themselves in to the Premier League, they’ve had an awful record against Chelsea. They’ve lost 10 of 13 meetings between the sides, winning just once. In six of the last seven meetings between the two, Stoke have failed to score. Those stats point to a good result for Chelsea in this match, one which would give them a big boost in the title race.

Their record at Stamford Bridge has been one of the key factors in Chelsea dominating the league since the start of the season. They’ve not lost a game at home all season, a classic Mourinho trait. He’ll be expecting that to stay the same until the end of the campaign, especially after he guaranteed the title at a press conference following their Champions League elimination. It’s not the first time he’s done this, he did it in his first two seasons at the club, even correctly predicting the day they’d win it in his first season.

There has been no such prediction this time, simply the statement that they will end the season as Premier League champions. With no other commitments to distract them that will be the goal from now right until the title has been won, making you wonder just how much the squad players will feature. Right now there are only two injuries in the group, to Diego Costa and John Obi Mikel. Mourinho has said he owes Loic Remy a chance after he scored the winner at Hull, so it’s likely neither of those two would feature here anyway.

In terms of the rest of the side, Mourinho’s defence rarely changes, while four of the five midfield spots are pretty much decided. Really the question is Willian or Juan Cuadrado on the right, with the rest of the team picking itself. The problem with that is the likes of Oscar and Cesc Fabregas have been way below par lately but can they turn that around against Stoke?

As much as a routine win is expected here, you have to remember that Stoke went to the Etihad this season and won. They’re in the top 10 and targeting a higher finish, so they’re hardly pushovers. The hosts should win, as long as they play to their best. Once again it comes down to the occasional complacency the players can show, with a lack of a ruthless edge a much maligned problem. While it’s hard to see the team throwing away the lead they have, a lack of focus could make the run in a lot harder than it has to be, although they should have too much here.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 2-0

Chelsea will be extremely eager to get back to winning ways when they travel to Hull on Sunday. After two consecutive draws, the league leaders need three points as they look to close out the Premier League title. They have 10 league games left ahead of this meeting with Hull, and a six point lead over challengers (and current champions) Manchester City to protect.

This trip is one of just three fixtures outside London in their run in, which should make things a lot easier for them with so little traveling required. Jose Mourinho guaranteed that his side would win the Premier League title last week, and with their current situation looking rather rosy they are certainly heavy favourites. The big worry is that the side might just become complacent, with most pundits suggesting that the title race is already over.

We’ve saw a glimpse of complacency creeping in during the matches against Bradford and Paris Saint-Germain that resulted in FA Cup and Champions League exits respectively, and it goes hand in hand with the lack of ruthlessness the players and manager have pointed out on several occasions. It cost their title hopes last year with points thrown away against smaller sides, and it can’t be allowed to happen again. A win at Hull would send them into the last nine games in a fantastic position.

A big performance would also clear the PSG result and poor display from people’s minds, as things haven’t really picked up since then. A win at Hull would help everyone move past that, as it sets up the run in with the title firmly marked as the top (well, only) priority, and within touching distance. Given City’s tougher fixture list and the Blues’ game in hand, the gap is likely to get bigger if anything.

A few win in this game and further victories in the early April fixtures, and City could end up even further behind, ending the title race with a month or so to spare. Luckily for Chelsea, they have an excellent recent record against the struggling Tigers. In every meeting between the teams since Hull got back into the top flight, Chelsea have run out 2-0 winners. That seems to be Mourinho’s favourite scoreline, and he’d happily take the same result again over his friend Steve Bruce.

Hull are in need of the points themselves, as they sit just three points above the bottom three. Aston Villa below them are hitting form, Burnley seem to be as well, while Sunderland have recently changed manager which could produce a “bounce”. Hull are far from out of danger right now, and they need to start getting points on the board. After Chelsea’s recent performances, the Tigers will believe a result is possible here. They’ve taken points off City, Arsenal and Liverpool this season, so they enjoy these big games.

That’s the task that the Blues face here, having to get back to winning ways and their early season performances. A few key players aren’t playing as well as they were early in the season, and if they get back to their best then Mourinho’s title promise should be fulfilled.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 2-0

Chelsea will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing Champions League exit to PSG with a win over Southampton on Sunday. After their 2-2 draw with the French champions last Wednesday, they crashed out of Europe on away goals, so this is the only competition that the Blues have left to play in this season.

With the side still top of the Premier League and the Capital One Cup already won, Jose Mourinho is still on course to guide his team to a successful campaign. The manner of the exit against PSG wasn’t just disappointing, it was worrying, especially ahead of the title race run in. With a five point lead and a game in hand the trophy should be as good as won with a few more wins, but progress looked just as certain on Wednesday until they threw it away.

With an away goal lead, home advantage and a man advantage for much of the game, Chelsea should have come through their last 16 game against PSG. The side just didn’t play well enough, they weren’t ruthless enough. That has been identified as a failure of the team on many occasions before, and it still hasn’t been fixed. The big worry now is that the side coast towards the title like they did against the Parisians. That kind of lazy display would allow City right back in with the chance to retain their crown.

Focus will be the key aspect of the last few weeks of the campaign, as the Premier League does seem to be Chelsea’s to lose from here. This weekend’s game will be a big test of their mettle, as they face Champions League-chasing Southampton at Stamford Bridge. The Saints have been in impressive form this season, shocking most with their consistency, but they’ve hit a bit of a rough patch of late. They’ve found scoring goals a problem, and they’ve dropped out of the top four after a few poor results.

They held the league leaders to a 1-1 draw at St Mary’s over the festive period, a result which contributed to City closing the gap early this year. Mourinho will be hoping for a better result and performance this time, and he’ll be looking for a few of the out of form players to step up. While no one is expected to be 10/10 every time, the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa have dropped off massively in recent weeks. That may be just to the lack of a winter break, but the team can’t carry those two while they’re playing below par.

We may see a few changes for this game, with the likes of Costa or Fabregas sitting a game out. Loic Remy is waiting in the wings to come on up front, but there isn’t as many options in midfield. After this game, the Blues will have just 10 games left this season, and this is the time when they need to show just how much they’ve improved since last year.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 2-0

Chelsea face PSG on Wednesday night as they look to book a place in the Champions League quarter finals. The two sides finished the first leg in Paris all-square, so everything is on the line in this one, and both managers will be expected to get their sides into the next round. Chelsea hold a slight advantage with their away goal, but that could be turned on its head on Wednesday night.

Just as they had in the first leg, Chelsea come in to this game with a week-long break. They played at Upton Park last Wednesday and, with no weekend game, they should be pretty fresh for the visit of the French champions. After a week which saw them lift a trophy, overcome a difficult obstacle in the league and then take a few days off, morale should be pretty high within the Blues’ camp at the moment too.

As for PSG, they had league action on Saturday before they made the trip to London. They beat Lens 4-1 at home, and moved top of Ligue 1 as a result. While that will be a boost for PSG, it won’t match up to the week of training and rest that Jose Mourinho put his men through. With an away goal, Chelsea could really just sit back early on in this game, before pushing forward and picking off the visitors later on when they have the physical advantage.

This game is a complete reversal of the quarter final meeting between the two sides last season, when Chelsea had to push for the win in the second leg. They trailed 3-1 and needed a 2-0 win, which they finally got late on. This time, the Premier League leaders know they are currently in the driving seat with their away goal, so not conceding here is key. Of course they’ll have to push forward due to the players in the team and the fact that they’re at home, but don’t expect to see the Blues going all out here.

It suits Mourinho’s team to play a patient game, as the longer this game goes the more desperate PSG will become. As long as they can keep it tight early on, there will be chances for the likes of Oscar, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa on the counter attack. The key will be not to get too defensive, as we saw how difficult the first leg became when PSG came roaring back after going behind, and the visitors couldn’t get out of their own half.

Nemanja Matic is back for this game, and his presence will be a big factor in winning the midfield battle. That will leave Mourinho with a decision to make at the back. Keep Gary Cahill, or play Kurt Zouma who was been fantastic in the holding midfield role of late. Whoever gets picked, they’ll have to be at the top of their game to stop the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 2-1 (3-2 aggregate)

Chelsea return to Premier League action on Wednesday night, as they cross the capital to face an out of form West Ham side. The Hammers are sitting well in the top half after an excellent season, but a loss to the Blues over Christmas was part of a poor run for them, and that’s continued on in the first two months of 2015. Despite that, this will still be a tough game, with the league leaders missing players and having to come in to this on the back of a cup final, albeit one they won.

Chelsea will of course be missing Nemanja Matic for this one, as he serves the second and final game of his ban for his red card at Burnley. The Serbian is a big miss for the Blues, especially with his stand-in John Obi Mikel also likely to miss out. Without a recognised defensive midfielder, this will be a tough game, as West Ham have a physical side and enough pace to worry any opposition.

So far this season, West Ham have beaten Liverpool and Manchester City at home, so they pose a threat to the league’s top sides at Upton Park. The league leaders do represent a very different task though, especially given how Sam Allardyce has seen his side’s good start to the season collapse in recent weeks and months.

The Hammers are without a win in their last six games, while they’ve managed just one league victory since losing 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day last year. Goals from John Terry and Diego Costa sealed that win, a comfortable one, which was the last game at the Bridge in 2014.

After the League Cup final, there are also league and Champions League commitments for Chelsea to fulfil over the coming weeks. The return leg of the last 16 clash with PSG takes place a week after the trip to Upton Park, and Jose Mourinho will be hoping to have the majority of his squad available and fighting fit for that game against the French champions.

We know Mourinho isn’t usually one for rotating these days, he prefers a settled team and it’s hard to imagine we’ll see too many changes at Upton Park. We may see the odd change from the League Cup final, possibly with the centre halves and in the attacking midfield positions, but the central midfield options are too restricted to see many changes. It is hard to imagine the same side playing the League Cup final and then starting against the Hammers just over 72 hours later.

While the final showdown with Spurs will be the big game of the week, the club can’t afford to drop their focus in the league, as they look to keep Manchester City at bay as we head in to the final stretch. After this game we’ll have just 10 left in the league, which is when things get really serious.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 2-0