So put your hands up if you were concerned before last weekends match against West Brom? Us too, however with that potential banana skin successfully traversed, today’s match seems much more of a formality, and that is why we must be careful.
Complacency can be this teams greatest threat as we make the trip North to face Martinez’s Lactics, fresh from our 6-0 win over West Brom and with their shock reverse 4-0 to Blackpool, on paper we should win this comfortably, however we all know football isn’t played on paper.
With an 8-0 win at Stamford Bridge the last time the two teams met, Wigan will be looking to show they can still compete at the top level, and Carlo Ancelotti isn’t expecting a repeat of the previous meeting. Speaking to ChelseaFC.com he said; “I am sure it will be a different game, the last game at Wigan we lost 3-1, and for this reason I think we have to prepare well for this game, above all mentally.”
“I will be happy if we can win just 1-0. It is important to have a clean sheet, it is important to score when possible but this is not football, to win 6-0 or 7-0 cannot happen every day. It is important to win, to play well, and if possible to score. We have to pay attention, they started bad, lost at home against Blackpool and they want to be strong, to have power tomorrow, to do a different match.”
Speaking of his first defeat as a Chelsea manager away to Wigan last season, he recalled; “We had problems last season, it was our first defeat and now we want to continue, we started well, it is important to have a good start, not just one game but also the others. Last year we won the first games and we want to do the same because it is important to start well.”
Revealing some team news Ancelotti said that Ramires is not yet ready to play, but should be ready for Stoke next week, and also informed us that Ivanovic is fit again after a stomach problem and should start, probably at right back as Alex continues in the centre with Terry. Lampard is fit and will play, despite reports earlier in the week that he may not start,
Speaking of our current injuries he said; “We are without Bosingwa, he will start to train with the team next week and maybe needs again two or three weeks to play. Bruma will have surgery this morning for a hernia, and Kakuta has a problem on his back. The other players are in good condition.”
The match kicks off at 17:15 this afternoon and you can follow us on Twitter for match updates.
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