Chelsea’s final home game of the season sees them face Norwich City at Stamford Bridge. Heartbreak in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final leaves the Premier League as their only hope of a trophy, with that battle relying on Liverpool and Manchester City dropping points. Norwich are fighting for survival in the top division, and although they have lost three games in a row, Chelsea’s defeat to Sunderland will give the Canaries hope.
Petr Cech may have returned to training despite needing surgery on a dislocated shoulder, but he is unlikely to feature for the rest of the season. Mark Schwarzer will continue to deputise in goal.
John Terry’s speedy return to the side on Wednesday should see him start at centre-half on Sunday. Ashley Cole will likely return to the bench, with Cesar Azpilicueta continuing his stellar season at left-back. Branislav Ivanovic should complete the back four at right-back.
Nemanja Matic should return to the starting XI, having been cup-tied for the semi-final defeat. With Ramires suspended and David Luiz having one eye on the World Cup, Frank Lampard will be most likely to partner Matic .
Oscar is unlikely to feature on Sunday after sitting out the semi-final with a hip injury. He should be replaced in the No. 10 role by Andre Schurrle , with Willian on the right.
Mourinho says an interview given by @hazardeden10 after Wednesday's game has been taken out of context. #CFC
— Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) May 2, 2014 Jose Mourinho insisted that Eden Hazard’s comments after the game on Wednesday, per The Telegraph , were taken out of context, but the recently crowned Young Player of the Year will need to choose his words more carefully in the future. It is unlikely that he will be left on the bench, and he should complete the attacking trio.
Metro have reported that Diego Costa will join Chelsea in the summer, with a deal to be confirmed at the end of the season. However, for now, the Blues are stuck with their current trio of strikers.
Samuel Eto’o has been struggling with an injury and is unlikely to feature, leaving the choice between Demba Ba and Fernando Torres. Ba has shown great adaptability, coming into the side on several occasions over the past month, but Torres' goal on Wednesday is likely to give him the starting spot.
Winning the Premier League is a nigh on impossible task for Chelsea. They will need help from Liverpool and Manchester City, but any charity from the top two will need to be matched by their own efforts. Signing off their season at Stamford Bridge with three points is the only acceptable outcome on Sunday.
News and reports sourced from the official Chelsea website unless otherwise noted.
//from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1pWjtRE
via IFTTT May 02, 2014 at 05:22AM
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