Chelsea v Blackburn Preview
The Saturday Premier League action ends with West Ham and Arsenal, but it begins with Chelsea and Blackburn. Chelsea are the easy favourites to beat Blackburn. A Premiership championship is unlikely for Chelsea, but a win at Stamford Bridge would help get the club back on track.
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has been under some pressure in recent weeks and admitted he feels lucky to still have the job. A 7-0 win over Ipswich in the FA Cup suggests a return to form, especially since Arsenal lost to the same club 1-0 on Wednesday night. The Blues are fifth in the Premiership table and nine points behind Manchester United. In other words, this is a must win.
Frank Lampard hasn’t done much for Chelsea but scored two against Ipswich. He has 5/1 odds at Coral to score first against Blackburn. Chelsea have held opponents scoreless 10 times in the premier League and only four of their home games have produces over 2.5 goals total, so the under 2.5 goals market is worth at look at 6/4 odds. The Blues beat Blackburn in October at Ewood Park.
Blackburn has done well under manager Steve Kean, including a 3-1 win over a struggling Liverpool side. They are 10th in the league but have lost seven of 11 matches away from home. Also, they haven’t kept a clean sheet away from Ewood Park all season. With so many players out, the best bet to score anytime from Blackburn is Jason Roberts with 13/2 odds at Coral.
Chelsea should win comfortably in this one. In fact, a 2-0 win for the Blues has nice value at 11/2 odds.
Chelsea v Blackburn Match Odds (supplied by Coral)
Chelsea: 2/7
Draw: 4/1
Blackburn: 10/1