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Chelsea welcomes Cardiff on Stamford Bridge in an attempt to make use of its current form and further move up the table. Chelsea did not have the best of starts under Mourinho, but that was somewhat expected under a new manager which changed the style of play. After the mediocre start, Chelsea really started pumping on all cylinders lately. 1-1 at Tottenham, 4-0 at Steaua Bucharest and 3-1 at Norwich. I watched all three games and aside from one half at Tottenham, Chelsea was utterly dominant and played fantastic football. The hosts are particularly impressive in the line of three behind the striker Torres. Superb players like Oscar, Mata, Schurrle, Willian, Hazard, van Ginkel or De Bruyne are competing for a starting place there, so at any point in the match Chelsea has options to revitalize the offense. This was best seen last round against Norwich, when Chelsea conceded an unlucky equaliser only to turn the game in the last 10 minutes thanks to Hazard and Willian, who contributed with goals and assists minutes after being sent on the pitch. Chelsea is currently 3rd in the standings and they have a great chance to cement a top 3 place today against Cardiff.
The visitors started the league surprisingly well, gaining 8 points in 7 rounds for a decent 14th spot placement. Cardiff was and is widely expected to relegate, being considered (justly) the worst team in the league along with Crystal Palace. The welsh are undoubtedly a home team, despite the fact that they played honorable on the road so far, with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss. On the long term though, they will need to do the job at home in order to stay up. They have a poor squad for Premier League standards. Cardiff is also in poor form at the moment, losing 3 out of the last 4 games in all competitions, including a 1-2 loss at home to Newcastle in the last Premiership round.
Team news & lineups
Schurrle, Cole and van Ginkel are out for Chelsea, while Torres is a doubt. Cardiff will not be able to count on star striker Cornelius. The visitors are in the spotlight in the press with rumours of head coach Malky Mackay being unhappy and wanting to leave the club.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech – Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Bertrand – Ramires, Lampard – Hazard, Oscar, Mata – Ba.
Cardiff (4-1-4-1): Marshall – Théophile-Catherine, Caulker, Turner, Taylor – Medel – Odemwingie, Gunnarson, Whittingham, Kim – Campbell.
Chelsea is playing like a true title contender at the moment, they are in great form and the break caused by the World Cup qualifiers has allowed Mourinho to further implement his playing style. The hosts are fantastic up front and they look able to score 2-3 goals past anyone right now. Cardiff will fight, but there is just not enough quality to compete against a top side on the road. Chelsea should win this, and I`m counting on their form and offense to cover the handicap. Home court advantage should also be a huge factor, with Chelsea winning al home games so far and Cardiff being poor on the road overall. My input is that this is the best game of the day in the Premier League. Expect a strong Chelsea performance at home on the back of their recent form, as Cardiff is losing it`s pace and is starting to showcase it`s poor quality recently. Chelsea will pile up the pressure for the whole 90 minutes and they should get a lot of chances. Chelsea – Cardiff 4-1.
Pick: Chelsea (-1,5)
Odds: 1.76 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 6.08
Event date: 19 October
Editor Facts
- Rostick is 5 for 7 in English football in October
