Chelsea v Aston Villa (16:00 GMT)Chelsea's performance against Leeds in the Capital One Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday night was a very good one. I know they were only up against a Championship club but it was still a hostile atmosphere at Elland Road. They also had jetlag to deal with because when you have flown halfway around the world like they did to play in the Club World Cup last week, it can hit you. It's a strange thing because I watched them against Leeds and thought, if it is going to affect them, it will get them in the second half. But it was completely the opposite, because they ended up winning at an absolute canter. The other thing I noticed from that game is that the Chelsea fans have stopped moaning about Rafael Benitez - they have moved on to something else now. I was impressed by how Benitez dealt with all the stick he got when he first took interim charge too. You have to have the skin of a rhino sometimes as a football manager, and he has definitely got it. On the pitch, things are looking up. As well as beating Leeds, his side created enough chances to beat Corinthians in the final of the Club World Cup and I think they will beat Aston Villa on Sunday. Villa have had a good run of late and they had a great win at Anfield last Saturday. The Villa fans seem to have accepted where they are at right now under Paul Lambert. They know they don't have much quality but, if their team gives them absolutely everything, then they are happy with that. I think Villa will stay up and I hope they do because I like what Lambert is trying to do at the club, building his own side with young players.
from sphincter boy Lawro. Apparently we know we don't have much quality yet funnily enough he's predicting Liverpool (that team we gave a kicking to last weekend) to win again. How about that?QuoteChelsea v Aston Villa (16:00 GMT)Chelsea's performance against Leeds in the Capital One Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday night was a very good one. I know they were only up against a Championship club but it was still a hostile atmosphere at Elland Road. They also had jetlag to deal with because when you have flown halfway around the world like they did to play in the Club World Cup last week, it can hit you. It's a strange thing because I watched them against Leeds and thought, if it is going to affect them, it will get them in the second half. But it was completely the opposite, because they ended up winning at an absolute canter. The other thing I noticed from that game is that the Chelsea fans have stopped moaning about Rafael Benitez - they have moved on to something else now. I was impressed by how Benitez dealt with all the stick he got when he first took interim charge too. You have to have the skin of a rhino sometimes as a football manager, and he has definitely got it. On the pitch, things are looking up. As well as beating Leeds, his side created enough chances to beat Corinthians in the final of the Club World Cup and I think they will beat Aston Villa on Sunday. Villa have had a good run of late and they had a great win at Anfield last Saturday. The Villa fans seem to have accepted where they are at right now under Paul Lambert. They know they don't have much quality but, if their team gives them absolutely everything, then they are happy with that. I think Villa will stay up and I hope they do because I like what Lambert is trying to do at the club, building his own side with young players.
2 0 to the Villa, Benteke will give em hell. There defence just won't be able to handle us
Matt Lowton insists Villa head into the Chelsea clash with confidence brimming after a wonder two weeks.Lowton says the players have been in good mood all season under the tutelage of Paul Lambert but their belief has risen since wins over Norwich and Liverpool.The right-wing-back says the players will take that buoyancy to Stamford Bridge - but he is adamant they won't underestimate the "touch, technique and guile" of the home team.He said: "The performances we've been putting in, I don't think the confidence could be much higher right now."We just have to go to Stamford Bridge and try to replicate that level of performance again."I think the confidence has been there all season. It's been growing and growing with each performance and now the results are coming, too. They have been since the Sunderland game really."But our feet are firmly on the ground and we know we have to continue to work hard. But confidence is really high with the players and the manager."We know we're going to cause a threat with the players we've got."But they've got some good attackers so it'll be difficult. But we've been defending brilliantly over the past few weeks, I think we've got three clean sheets in the past five games and Liverpool only managed to score in the last few minutes."We've been making fantastic blocks and tackles, throwing our bodies in the way, and we'll have to do that again on Sunday because the touch, technique and guile that their forwards have got is going to be a tough test."I think a point down there would be fantastic, having gotten all three at Anfield."But knowing the gaffer as he is we're going to be going down there to try to win the game."It's going to be tough, we know that and we won't think otherwise. But we expected that at Anfield as well, so we're going there fully confident."
Paul Lambert is sweating over the fitness of Ron Vlaar and Gabby Agbonlahor as Villa get set for Chelsea on Sunday.Lambert will check on the star duo this afternoon as he starts formulating his team plans for the Stamford Bridge clash.Vlaar has missed the last five games with a calf injury while Agbonlahor was absent from the Liverpool clash with a thigh problem.Stephen Ireland, who missed the Norwich and Liverpool games with a stomach bug, will be fit to face Chelsea.Lambert said: "I've seen Ron this morning but he's not done much at all."He's done a bit of running here and there but we'll see how he's doing."Gabby was not involved against Liverpool and he's another one who this game might be a bit too early for. We will see how Gabby is."If they don't come through it will more or less the same squad as Liverpool."
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Topic: Chelsea v Aston Villa Pre-Match Thread (Read 39799 times)
