Preview: Roma - Chelsea

CelticKing · Nov 4, 2008

Preview: Roma - Chelsea

VS.

What: Champions League Group A, Matchday 4
Who: Roma (3rd, 3pts) v Chelsea (1st, 7pts)
When: Tuesday, 4th November, 2008 - 2045 (CET)
Where: Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Roma host Chelsea in the fourth matchday of the UEFA Champions League this week, in a crucial contest for both sides that will have a big say in the final standings of the group.

The Giallorossi will be desperate to come away with a result from this match, as they can ill afford to lose any further ground on the other two teams in the group, whilst the Blues will be keen to confirm their spot at the top of Group A with victory in Rome this week.

Is There Any Hope For Roma?

Roma have continued their dreadful start to the 2008/09 campaign in recent weeks, as they have dropped three places since these two sides last met. I Lupi are currently in 17th position, and with no real signs of improvement being shown by the Romans, one wonders how they will ever get their season back on track.

As previously mentioned, they are currently in the bottom four of the league, with just seven points to their name, from the opening 10 rounds of football. They do have a match in hand against Sampdoria, which was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch last week; however the Giallorossi would find themselves no higher than 15th, with victory in that match.

They are one point clear of the relegation zone at present, and are desperately in search of some answers in regards to why they are having such a miserable time this season. They once again have to square up against arguably one of the most in-form side in all of Europe in Chelsea, a side that will be confident of taking all three points away from this game.

It’s Roma’s first return to the Olimpico in this competition since the first match day, when they were absolutely humiliated by the Romanian debutants CFR Cluj, as they were defeated 2-1. It was a disastrous start to the competition, and since that performance, things have gone downhill for the capital club.

Spalletti’s men will certainly have to be at their best if they wish to take even a point from this contest, and will need to be firing from the word go. It certainly won’t be easy for a side that has scored just the once in five competitive matches, with that being a consolation penalty against Udinese to Francesco Totti.

The Giallorossi failed to score a single goal in the league throughout the month of October, and will definitely be hoping to put that form behind them, and start fresh in November, a month that they kicked off with a 2-0 defeat away to Juventus.

In addition to this, the Blues have a tremendous defensive record in this competition, as they have failed to concede a single goal thus far, making life for the Romans all the more difficult this week.

Spalletti’s men will undoubtedly be nervous heading into this contest, as another defeat could put their ambitions of progressing through the group stage of this competition in serious jeopardy. Along with this, the Italian club has lost five of their past six matches against English opposition, including their last three, in which they have coincidentally failed to score in.

It’s a crucial match for the Giallorossi in terms of their final position in the standings, as the result of the Bordeaux-Cluj match could make matters worse for their ambitions of qualifying, if they are to go down to Chelsea this week.

As was the case in the first leg, the capital club will go in search of a miracle to emerge victorious in this contest, especially considering their poor form of late, however a draw would be a respectable result from this match, so expect them to approach the clash as they did at Stamford Bridge.

Blues Keen To Confirm Top Spot

The English giants have been simply outstanding this season in all competitions, as they have recently reclaimed top spot in the Premier League, and are three points clear in Group A of the Champions League.

Despite slipping up against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge recently, Chelsea reaffirmed themselves as one of the top clubs in England, with a comprehensive 5-0 demolition of Sunderland at the weekend. In fact, 5-0 was the same score line that the Blues took into their previous encounter with the Giallorossi, following their triumph over Middlesbrough three weeks ago.

Their defensive record in the Premier League has been second to none, as they have conceded just four goals in eleven matches; an incredible record. As well as this, they are one of just two teams who remain undefeated and without a goal conceded in this continental competition.

Scolari’s men have had their problems this season however, mainly on the injury front, with knocks to key players throughout the campaign. Just to name a few, the likes of Deco, Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, Michael Ballack and Michael Essien have all spent significant time on the sidelines, and have just, or will soon make a return to the squad – or in Essien’s case, require up to another six months out on the sidelines.

The English giants have been brilliant nonetheless, and still have managed to play the football required to lead the way in the Premier League and their group in the Champions League, which many expected to be the case anyway. Credit should be given to Luiz Felipe Scolari, who in his first year as coach of Chelsea has been phenomenal for the club.

In the Champions League, they have played just the one game on the road to date, and that was away to CFR Cluj in Romania, a match that ended 0-0. That result proved to be an extremely disappointing outcome for the Blues, who will be desperate to make amends for a poor showing on the road this week in Rome.

As was the case in their previous meeting, the facts and figures generally point towards a Chelsea victory at the Olimpico, as along with their great recent record in the Champions League; the club has lost just the one match in their past 24 outings in all competitions – with that being the recent defeat against Liverpool.

Scolari has such a strong squad at his disposal, and this is proven by their great run of results this season, despite the injuries they have had to deal with along the way. There are some fresh injury concerns in the Chelsea camp; however the London based club will remain confident of taking all three points home with them from this contest.

They will be desperate to win this encounter, as a vital three points on the road in Rome, will go a long way to consolidating their position at the top of Group A. If they do win, they will have 10 points from four matches, making top spot in the group a certainty, if it already isn’t...

FORM GUIDE

Roma

November 1 v Juventus (H) LOST 0-2

October 26 v Udinese (H) LOST 1-3

October 22 v Chelsea (A) LOST 0-1 (Champions League)

October 19 v Inter (H) LOST 0-4

October 5 v Siena (A) LOST 0-1

Chelsea

November 1 v Sunderland (H) WON 5-0

October 29 v Hull City (A) WON 3-0

October 26 v Liverpool (H) LOST 0-1

October 22 v Roma (H) WON 1-0 (Champions League)

October 18 v Middlesbrough (A) WON 5-0

TEAM NEWS

Roma:

The major injury concern for the Giallorossi concerns the fitness of Francesco Totti, who was forced to miss the Juventus match a few days ago, with a recurrence of pain in his injured knee. Il Capitano faces a race against time to be fit for this contest; however the early reports suggest that he will be utilized at some stage of the match.

Meanwhile, Marco Cassetti is certain to miss once again, as he continues to struggle to recover from a thigh injury, as is the case for Alberto Aquilani, who will miss another week also due to a thigh injury. Julio Baptista made a successful return to the starting line-up against Juve, and may be used from the start once again this week.

Possible Starting XI: (4-2-3-1) – Doni; Panucci, Juan, Mexes, Riise; De Rossi, Pizarro; Perrotta, Baptista, Vucinic; Totti

Chelsea:

The news off the field for the Blues continues to take a turn for the worse, as Ashley Cole has become the latest casualty for Scolari’s team. According to the latest reports from the Chelsea training ground, Cole picked up a calf strain in the side’s 5-0 win at home against Sunderland on the weekend, and is in serious doubt to take any part in Rome this week.

In addition to this, Chelsea has been rocked by the news that Michael Essien will require another six months on the sidelines, meaning that his season could be all but over, due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his knee. He is joined on the sidelines by Michael Ballack, who is out with a foot injury, Joe Cole, who is doubtful with an ankle injury, and also Ricardo Carvalho, who recently returned from a knee injury of his own, only to strain his hamstring in his first match back against Hull City, meaning that he will be out of action for the next three weeks.

Possible Starting XI: (4-4-2) – Cech; Bosingwa, Terry, Alex, Bridge; Mikel, Deco, Lampard, Malouda; Drogba, Anelka

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Roma – Daniele De Rossi: The talented Roman midfielder was the only shining light in his side’s disappointing 2-0 defeat in Turin at the weekend. Obviously if the Giallorossi are to have any luck this week against Chelsea, then De Rossi must be supported by his team mates, however he will certainly need to be at his absolute best if this is to be the case. He will be responsible for anchoring the Roman midfield, as well as working hard at both ends of the park, and so his performance will be absolutely critical to the final result on the night.

Chelsea – Nicolas Anelka: The French striker continued his brilliant run of form this season, with a well deserved hat-trick against Sunderland at the weekend. He now has eight goals to his name for the Premier League season, which is not a bad effort in eleven matches. He leads the way in the Premier League scoring charts, alongside Zaki of Wigan, and so he will be keen to continue this form in the Champions League, whilst making a name for himself on the big stage in the process.
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CelticKing · Nov 4, 2008

One of the best games to watch during this week no doubt.

I'll go with Chelsea, just because they have a stronger attack and a better midfield.

CK Prediction:

Roma 1 - 2 Chelsea

Claud · Nov 4, 2008

Roma 3-1 Chelsea

bbwMax · Nov 4, 2008

Claud you are very close ATM. Roma just knocked in a 3rd :O

Claud · Nov 4, 2008

Max said: ↑

Claud you are very close ATM. Roma just knocked in a 3rd :O
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Claud · Nov 4, 2008

Holy shit I was on the money
Chelsea lost 3-1

CelticKing · Nov 5, 2008

What's your secret Claud?

lol

Colonel Ronan · Nov 5, 2008

Very nice.

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Preview: Roma - Chelsea

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