Chelsea vs. Manchester United: Previewing the Blues and Reds vital EPL clash

Ryan Giggs of Manchester United beats Juan Mata of Chelsea

In a fixture that could have a considerable influence on who fans see lift the Premier League title this season, Manchester United travel to face Chelsea on Sunday after both clubs were put through their paces during the midweek Champions League fixtures.
This weekend’s hosts will be looking to bounce back from an unsuccessful journey to Ukraine where they succumbed to a resurgent Shakhtar Donetsk while the Red Devils undoubtedly finished the happier of the pair after coming from 2-0 down to see of Braga 3-2.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side adopted an unfamiliar 4-3-3 formation against the Portuguese opposition, a formation that was swiftly swept under the rug for a more frequently used 4-4-2 tactic. With Shinji Kagawa injured for the trip to west London, it’s more than likely that United will utilise the wings once again and Nani could come back into the starting line-up after impressing against Braga.

Chelsea vs Manchester United: Key Battles and Prediction

Fernando Torres of Chelsea holds off Michael Carrick of Manchester United (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

On Sunday October 28, London billionaires Chelsea will host Manchester United in one of the key matches of the 2012-13 season.
Despite differing fortunes in the UEFA Champions League mid-week, both clubs are competing at the top of the Premier League table with Chelsea leading on 22 points and Manchester United in second-place with 18 points.
With a victory, Roberto Di Matteo’s men will look to open up a potentially unassailable seven-point gap against their close rivals.
On the other hand, a win for Manchester United will put them one-point behind Chelsea. A loss or draw  makes way for noisy neighbors Manchester City to slide into second spot; goal difference the only factor currently separating the Mancunian clubs.

Chelsea Slip to Champions League Defeat against Impressive Shakhtar Donetsk Side

Chelsea arrived at the Donbass Arena with high hopes of continuing their impressive early-season form, but were well and truly shocked by a vibrant and cynical Shakhtar Donetsk. The result sees the Blues overtaken at the top of UEFA Champions League Group E, marking something of a setback in Chelsea’s hopes of retaining their European crown.
The game got off to the most eventful of starts, with Alex Texeira putting the hosts ahead after some slack Chelsea defending from a fairly innocuous looking throw-in in just the third minute. And it went from bad to worse for Roberto Di Matteo’s side, with Frank Lampard limping off in the 18^th minute with a suspected calf injury, and his departure cued a tactical reshuffle in the Chelsea ranks. Eden Hazard came on and immediately assumed the right midfield berth, while Ramires, who had been occupying the role from the start, dropped back into a holding midfield role alongside John Obi Mikel.

Chelsea Remains top of the EPL with dominant victory over Tottenham

Juan Mata of Chelsea (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

In a match that was shrouded with off the pitch story lines, Chelsea went into Tottenham’s home ground of White Hart Lane and let their actions on the field do all the talking in the early morning match in London on Oct. 20, 2012.
From Andre Villas-Boas having his first crack at his old club to questions surrounding the form of star Blues striker Fernando Torres and the discussion over whether or not suspended John Terry would keep his hold on the Chelsea captaincy, the focus seemed everywhere but on the match.
Chelsea brought everyone back to earth as defender Gary Cahill, standing in for the suspended club captain, put the European champions in the lead at the 17^th minute. It looked as though it was going to be a long day for Andre Villas-Boas as his replacement, Roberto Di Matteo, took a single goal lead into the locker room at the half way mark.

Tottenham vs. Chelsea: A look at Fernando Torres against Spurs

Fernando Torres of Chelsea

Fernando Torres was once a name that made defenders and goalkeepers in the English Premier League shake in their boots. In the last 24 months the man that was once the fearsome €œEl Nino€ and €œLiverpool€™s No.€ has had a rather rough run of luck.
His massive 50 million pound move to Chelsea from Liverpool in the middle of a pivotal season for both club€™s seemed like a knife in the back to the fans that have once adored him, and a massively loud victory for the Blues€™ side of London.
However, all that is glitter does not always glow as Torres endured a long road back to what appears to be his best form in over two years. His first 18 months with Chelsea saw him only score 12 goals in 67 matches across all competitions. To put in perspective the gulf in quality that had seemed to have emerged, at Liverpool he had been the fastest Red in history to reach 50 goals doing so in 72 matches.
Additionally Torres had been plagued by another issue at Chelsea, what appeared to be the curse of Didier Drogba on any striker that wanted to claim the top spot in the pecking order. It did not matter that the Ivory Coast international was in his 30€²s, his power and knack for goal never diminished and Torres was never able to stake a claim.

English Premier League: Chelsea Retain Top Spot, Manchester Duo Turn Up The Heat

Branislav Ivanovic of Chelsea (centre) celebrates with Juan Mata (L) and Fernando Torres (R) (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

It was another fruitful weekend for Chelsea, who are now four points clear at the top of the Premier League table. There were also wins for last season’s top two as Manchester United and Manchester City set about stamping their authority on the table. Of the ten games on show, we saw an average of 3.4 goals per game for the second successive week, this time with only one encounter failing to produce any goals at all.
The action began at the Etihad Stadium, as Manchester City produced arguably their best display of the season with a 3-0 win over Sunderland, thus ending the Mackem’s unbeaten start to the campaign. Alexander Kolarov opened the scoring with a trademark free kick, and in truth City could have been home and dry at half time, Simon Mignolet denying Pablo Zabaleta before Carlos Tevez fired wide. Sergio Aguero was came on for a frustrated Mario Balotelli in the second period and made an instant impact, tucking away at the near post from Kolarov’s center. James Milner then sealed a thoroughly satisfying result for Roberto Mancini’s men, catching out Mignolet with a free kick that took a slight deflection off of Craig Gardner. After a slow start to the season, City are finally showing the form that secured them the Premier League trophy last term.
There were a further 18 goals from the rest of Saturday afternoon’s action, in four particularly entertaining games. Everton’s impressive form stuttered somewhat as they were held to a 2-2 draw in an exciting affair against Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium. Arouna Kone opened the scoring for the Latics amid suspicions of offside, only for Nikica Jelavic to level in the following minute. Di Santo then restored Wigan’s lead after some more good work from Kone, before Leighton Baines capped off a great display with a brilliant 87^th minute penalty.

FC Nordsjaelland 0-4 Chelsea: Blues Show Class Late On to Take Three Points against Danish Champions

Fernando Torres of Chelsea

The Wild Tigers of Denmark put up quite a roaring fight today against the defending champs of the Champions League. The Danish Superliga champions showed that they were no pushovers and really gave the Blues a run for the money, even after conceding 10 minutes before halftime.
Nordsjaelland had a fairly good game against the Londoners, as they out-matched them in every stat line except the all important “Goals” one. The Tigers had 53% of the possession, won half of every aerial battle, had twice as many successful tackles with 12 to Chelsea’s six, and even had a better pass success rate, completing 89% of their attempted passes.

Chelsea v FC Nordsjælland: The Goals in Pictures and Post Match Interviews

After drawing their incredibly exciting first group match two weeks ago against Juventus, Chelsea continued the defense of their UEFA Champions League trophy with a convincing 4-0 win over Danish champions FC Nordsjælland in Denmark on Tuesday. Juan Mata opened up the scoring in the 33rd minute before adding a second in the 82nd. David Luiz’s free-kick sailed into the back of the net in the 79th, while Ramires made it four in the 89th minute. Below we take a look at the goals in a series of pictures that will surely bring joy to Chelsea fans everywhere.
Chelsea News, ,

Oscar confirms Chelsea medical

Brazil midfielder Oscar has undertaken a medical with Chelsea whilst in England, but insists he has not yet signed a contract with the Champions League winners.

PA PhotosOscar arrives in London with Brazil

Oscar, 20, played in Brazil's 2-0 victory over Great Britain in Middlesbrough on Friday evening as the teams warm-up for the London 2012 Games.
The Internacional playmaker has been linked with a £25 million move to Stamford Bridge, but is adamant he will decide his future after his national team duties have been completed.
"I only had a meeting with the doctor, nothing else," Oscar said. "I didn't sign any contract yet and I will wait until the end of the Olympic games to decide my future.
"All Brazilian players have this dream. I have, like everybody the dream to play in Europe and the Premier League."
Oscar joined Internacional from Sao Paulo in 2009 and last summer scored a hat-trick in the Under-20 World Cup final as Brazil beat Portugal.
He told Brazilian reporters he had decided to stay with Internacional earlier in the week, but now seems open to a Chelsea switch.
"It is like a dream for me, participating in the Olympics, it's so important for my career and I hope to win the gold medal here," he said.
"It was a good result tonight [against Team GB] but we also have to improve and grow during the competition to reach the final. I am enjoying, it is not a pressure, I am focussed on the Olympics but want to show the British fans that I can play well here."

Reference: soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1126061/brazil-starlet-oscar-confirms-chelsea-medical?cc=4716