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It’s Premier League match time in match 20, when Chelsea hosts Bolton, at Stamford Bridge, on Wednesday, December 29.

Chelsea’s last home game was in match week 16, when they played out a 1-1 draw against Everton. Ancelotti’s squad took the lead off a Dragba penalty, minutes before the interval. But they hadn’t reckoned with a resilient Everton who fought back gamely in the second half, to level the score through a Beckford strike on 86 minutes, to steal a point from the game.

Essien and Mikel were off-colour and Blues’ resultant loss of control in midfield gave Everton the opportunity that they grabbed with both hands. In good news for Chelsea, their back line looked more solid than it had been for weeks, with John Terry reporting back for duty. With Lampard also back, Chelsea could be at full strength against Bolton. Chelsea are clearly not able to trust their young bench, and that was evident against the Toffees who have stayed unbeaten against the Stamford Bridge squad for four games in a row. That said, Ancelotti’s men will welcome the return of Drogba to goal scoring ways.

Bolton’s last away match against Sunderland in match week 18 ended in a 1-0 loss for the Trotters. The score-line does not tell the entire story and if Bolton had converted all their opportunities, they should have taken three points from the game. Where the Wanderers failed was in defence with Sunderland’s three-pronged attack comprising Bent Wellbeck and Gyan causing confusion as to their intent, though to Bolton’s comfort, they often nullified each other.

But Bolton did appear the more well-rounded side and as so often happens, the better side lost when Wellbeck scored the solitary goal of the game, for the Black Cats.

Head to head, Chelsea have established a 13-1 advantage against Bolton in the last 20 meetings between the sides. the last time the sides met was at Stamford Bridge, and the hosts won 1-0 on the occasion.

Currently in fourth place on the table after having spent the best part of the the season as top dog, Chelsea have enjoyed a good home record this season, with six wins in eight gams hosted with a draw and a loss each in the remaining matches. In contrast, Bolton in a respectable seventh place, have lost three games of nine on the road, while winning two and drawing four.

With Lampard’s return, Chelsea will have a point to prove, and you can expect the Stamford Bridge side to throw the kitchen sink at Bolton in an attempt to take three points from the game on Wednesday.

Chelsea’s starting eleven against Tottenham in match week 17 had the following players: Cech, Ferreira, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Mikel, Essien, Kalou, Anelka and Malouda. Drogba, Sturridge and Lampard played in the game as substitutes.

Bolton had the following men in their starting eleven in the match against Sunderland in match week 18: Jaaskelainen, Ricketts, Cahill, Knight, Robinson, Taylor, Holden, Muamba, Petrov, Elmander and Davies.

Liverpool need a win badly and they will considering Blackburn’s visit to Anfield this Sunday as affording the perfect opportunity.

Blackburn’s poor record at Anfield is a factor in Liverpool’s favour. The Rovers last won in 1993 at the ground; of the fourteen matches played since then, nine have been won by the Merseysiders, with the remaining five drawn.

The off-field saga at Liverpool has taken its toll and the club are in relegation zone. Their solitary win against West Brom is long forgotten, and they have had a poor run in the five games after that one, with draws against Birmingham and Sunderland and losses to Manchester United, Everton and newbies Blackpool.

The best players at Anfield were rested against Napoli in Thursday’s Europa League game, and Hodgson’s strategy was clearly aimed at keeping his players fresh for the Blackburn game.

Torres and Gerard could be key to getting the Merseysiders campaign up and running now that the club has its new owners in place and the Gillett and Hicks saga consigned to history. The forwards will look for support from Raul Meireles and Lucas Leiva in midfield as well as from Daniel Agger who were all rested during the Napoli game.

Glen Johnson was sidelined with a leg injury for a couple of games and Liverpool will want to see him recovered in time for Sunday’s match. Kuyt is yet to recover from his injury sustained in Holland’s Euro qualifier against Sweden.

Blackburn defender was sent off during their match against Sunderland and that’s a big blow for the Rovers ahead of the Liverpool game. Manager Sam Allardyce will take a late call on Ryan Nelsen’s fitness; Nelsen’s thigh injury saw him miss the game against the Black Cats. Assuming he recovers in time, Nelsen could fill in for Samba, alongside Gael Givet in the back-line.

Striker Benjani took a blow to his head in the Sunderland game and could also be subjected to a late fitness test. David Dunn is fit to play and is likely to be used as a substitute, while Keith Andrews groin operation will keep him out of the game against the Reds.

Liverpool are likely to go with the following men in their starting eleven: Reina, Carragher, Johnson, Konchesky, Skrtel, Poulsen, Meireles, Gerrard, Cole, Maxi, Torres

The following players are likely to comprise Blackburn’s first eleven: Robinson, Nelsen, Salgado,  Olsson, Givet, N’zonzi, Emerton, Pedersen, Jones, Kalinic, E Diouf

With the start of the new Barclays Premier Season only forty-nine days away, supporters across the globe have already begun marking the days off their calendars. Ever since the completion of last season on May 24th, several of the proverbial ‘bigs’ team have made additions to their squads. So the looming question is; Who will lift the Premier League Trophy next season? Of course, Chelsea are the favorites having won last year, but they will have to overcome several difficult opponents if they hope to retain their trophy.

One of the teams who will push them close is Manchester United. In Louis Van Gaal’s first season in charge, the Red Devils finished fourth and gave Chelsea a scare both times they played. That being said, a lot of pundits still believe that United will not have the quality to push for the title. So far this summer, they have signed young Memphis Depay from PSV Eindhoven for an estimated £25 million. Having played under Van Gaal in the 2014 World Cup, Depay will fit into his new team with ease. Another team that will compete with Chelsea is Arsenal. The Gunners finished in third place last season and retained the famous FA Cup.

However, the season ended up being a disappointed one due to the team being unable to close out matches. So far the team from London have not confirmed any signings. In previous years this has been the unraveling of the team. Rather than sign top quality players, they would resort to only buying when there is value in the market. The number one position on Arsenal’s wish list is that of a striker. With Olivier Giroud scoring only 19 goals last season, Arsenal supporters have been crying out for a new striker since the opening day of the transfer market. All in all, unless Arsenal sign a world class striker to support Giroud, they won’t come close to winning the league. The third and final team that will challenge Chelsea is Manchester City. They had a dreadful season last year, in which they finished second and won no major honors. Among the disappointing results, there was also several reports of players falling out with manager; Manuel Pellegrini. This lead to the Chilean only barely holding onto his job. However, a team as rich as City will have no trouble selling the bad eggs and replacing them with phenomenal players. So to the dismay of millions, it seems as though Chelsea are the favorites. Manchester United, Arsenal, and Manchester City will fight, but do not be surprised if you see Chelsea’s captain John Terry lifting the trophy yet again.

Premier League match time arrives at St James’ Park as Newcastle United get set to host champions Chelsea in match week 15 on Sunday, November 28.

A few weeks ago, Newcastle stunned Sunderland 5-1. Match week 14 witnessed a repeat of that score, except that Chris Hughton’s squad were on the receiving end, with Bolton the beneficiaries. Despite the loss, the Magpies are in the top half of the points table, but in an extremely tight league, they are just four points adrift of 18th placed Wigan.

Carroll, as ever, was outstanding, though in a lost cause, and got a second half goal to reduce the margin. The absence of both Barton and Tiote was a double blow for Hughton’s men, who would also be justified in considering themselves as having been subjected to some harsh refereeing. Coloccini was a weak link in Magpies’ defence, and he did not have any clue about how to handle Elmander’s pace and the Bolton striker made the most of the opportunity by scoring a brace.

Chelsea are coming off a 1-0 away loss to Birmingham, their third in four games. Ancelotti’s side began the season with a run of wins and a barrage of goals. Their campaign has lost its early steam, and with a long list of injuries, the Stamford Bridge squad’s weak bench stands exposed.

Contrast this with the performance of their rivals at Old Trafford. While Manchester United have trailed Chelsea, their saving grace has been their unbeaten record. They have shown the kind of resilience we expect to see in champions, even when below their best.

The latest blow for Chelsea — John Terry laid low for some weeks – has been the hardest to bear. The team’s early season performance bore the stamp of Terry’s leadership and character. The defence is vulnerable without him, as is the midfield without Lampard.

Head to head In their last twenty league encounters, Chelsea have won 13 while losing just 2, with the remaining five drawn. Both of Magpies’ wins have come at home, with the last one registered in April 2006.

Ahead of the game against Chelsea, Newcastle will be buoyed by the return of Tiote.

Newcastle had the following men in their starting eleven against Bolton: Krul, Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Guthrie, Nolan, Smith, Gutierrez, Carroll and Ameobi; the Magpies employed Routledge, Lovenkrands and Campbell as substitutes.

The following men comprised Chelsea’s starting eleven against Birmingham: Cech, Ferreira, Alex, Ivanovic, Cole, Ramires, Mikel, Malouda, Anelka, Drogba and Kalou; the substitutes who featured were Bosingwa and Sturridge.

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