Games against Chelsea have normally been very entertaining. Plenty of drama and last minute action makes games against the two clubs very interesting. Everyone will remember the debut game in the top flight. The heartbreak that Wigan fans felt when Hernan Crespo scored that wonder goal was horrible. A brave performance left Wigan fans feeling sick. The following season, another last gasp winner left Wigan fans feeling the exact same as the previous campaign. Despite recovering from 2-0 down, a score line which was very hard to recover from under previous manager Jose Mourinho, Arjen Robben stole the show with a drilled shot from the edge of the area.
Wigan gained a bit of revenge two seasons ago when Emile Heskey all but ended Chelsea’s title hunt for the 2007/2008 season. His last minute equaliser gave the edge to Manchester United who went on to lift the title at the JJB on the final day. Now, Wigan will look to try and end Chelsea’s 100% start to the season.
Ancelotti has made some new signings who have yet to feature heavily so far. Ross Turnbull is cover for Petr Cech, Daniel Sturridge cannot get into the side due to the partnership of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka while Yuri Zhirkov has been injured. Out of the three, Zhirkov could feature at some point on Saturday after playing in the 1-0 Carling Cup win over Q.P.R.
Wigan Team News
Roberto Martinez could be tempted to shuffle his side around after the 4-0 hammering suffered at the Emirates. The depth in the side has increased from last season and Paul Scharner, Jason Scotland and Won-Hee Cho are all pushing for starts. Olivier Kapo has now played in two reserve team games and should take a place on the bench. James McCarthy may also be pushing to play some part on Saturday. Scott Sinclair will not play any part as he is ineligible to face his parent club due to the terms in his loan deal. Apart from that, Martinez has no new injury worries for the game.
What Hugo Rodallega thinks
"Clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United are great sides on a worldwide stage, not just here in the Premier League.
"We have to start picking up in games like this and looking at winning every game, not relying on what might happen after that in games against other teams. Chelsea is an important game for us, and we'll be going all-out to win that one.
"There is a run of games coming up after when maybe we could be looking to pick up more points. But let's start with Saturday first, and hopefully get three points against Chelsea."
"I don't think that things have gone as well as they could have done considering the great start we made," he said. "We went away to Aston Villa, put in a great performance to win there, and that was a really promising start.
"Then things didn't go so well, and it's been difficult for us, and it's hard to know why things haven't gone so well since.
"We are in a position now where we feel we should be a lot higher up, because we have got a great group of players."
Wigan Predicted Line-Up
Kirkland
Melchiot Boyce Bramble Figueroa
Thomas Diame
N’Zogbia Gomez Scharner
Rodallega
Key Players for Chelsea
Frank Lampard – Lampard is always a key player, for club and country. His range of passing is magnificent and is one of the best goal scoring midfielders in the world.
Didier Drogba – Has found the same kind of form he used to have when Mourinho was in charge of the club. Drogba has pace, power and the ability to score world class goals.
Joe Cole – Returns to the Chelsea match day squad after suffering a cruciate ligament injury whilst playing for England a few months ago. A top quality player who can create chances when it looks like nothing is on.
WIGANER.net Prediction
After huge defeats at the hands of Manchester United and Arsenal, Martinez will know that he faces a very tough battle against Chelsea. The first goal will be vital. If Wigan score first, the confidence could allow the team to push on and take a scalp. If Chelsea score first, it could be game over. What is clear though, is that there are goals in this game.
WAFC 1-2 CFC
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