CHOULO19

Balotelli That was just ridiculous!

Match Preview Here

Venue Just 12 days after the Blues snapped City’s 13-match winning streak at home, putting an end to all the myths about the Ettihad Stadium, Mourinho’s men take on the citizens at their home ground again at 17:15 GMT on Saturday February 15th as part of the FA Cup fifth round. The Match Chelsea head to the Ettihad looking for their third win over the team that has been labeled as the best in the country this season. So can Jose Mourinho mastermind another victory for the Blues? This time, the stakes are arguably even higher, with some calling the clash an early final in the FA cup. That may be an exaggeration, but both teams will certainly fancy their chances in the cup if they can come out on top in this clash especially if you consider the fact that one of Liverpool or Arsenal will be knocked out this round. City come into the match the much fresher side after their mid-week match against Sunderland was cancelled due to the bad weather conditions, but they will have the CL clash against Barcelona, no less, three days later in the back of their minds. Chelsea, on the other hand, despite looking a bit tired in the mid-week game, will not play again for a whole week and will certainly hold nothing back in terms of team selection or substitutions. Both teams are coming off the back of a disappointing draw. Chelsea conceded a late equalizer at Hawthorns while City were held to a goal-less draw at Norwich. A win on Saturday can go a long way in terms of team spirit and confidence and both team will be hoping to carry some kind of momentum into their next game. Opposition Analysis City have been known to play great attacking football this season, especially at home, that has earned them much praise from neutrals and the media. Pelligrini’s variation of the 4-4-2, or at least that is what it is on paper, is incredibly flexible and adaptive and flexible due to the movement of the City players, especially Silva and one of the strikers. It relies a lot on the dynamism of the two central midfielders and the organization of Kompany at the back. Defensively, they press well and with physicality, but can leave spaces behind them that can be exploited on the counter as was evident in the game last Monday. For more in depth tactical analysis about City’s system check out the scouting report by @hjperdeath, . In the game in the league, Jose made some tactical decisions that proved vital in deciding the game. Mourinho opted for the dynamism of Luiz and Matic in central midfield with Willian in the number ten position to double up on Toure when he gets the ball. We played with 6 players behind the ball at most times with the movement and pace of our front four doing all the damage; Ramires was also played on the right wing to counter Kolarov’s runs. It will be very interesting to see if Jose goes for the same tactics tomorrow and what Pelligrini does to counter them. Team News Pelligrini confirmed in his press conference on Friday that they top scorer, Sergio Aguero, is still out injured along with Fernandinho in midfield and Nastasic in defense. The Chilean might also choose to rest a few players ahead of the CL match against Barcelona. So overall, we are likely to see a depleted Man City side tomorrow. As for Chelsea, aside from the long-term injury of Marco van Ginkel, John Terry is still not fit for this match while Garry Cahill is a major doubt after picking up a calf injury against WBA. Jose Mourinho has also hinted at making changes from the side that played City in the league. I’ll leave the expected lineups to you… Facts and Stats - Chelsea have lost 4 of the last 5 visits to the Ettihad. - Despite scoring more goals than any team in the country, Man City have failed to score in their last two matches. - Chelsea are the only team to stop the Citizens from scoring at the Ettihad this season. - Anichibe's goal at the Hawthorns was the first goal Chelsea have conceded in over 700 minutes of football in all competitions. - Alvaro Negredo has scored 16 goals in his last 14 competitive appearances at the Etihad Stadium. - It is incredibly difficult to find stats and facts for an FA cup match. (Yes, that is a fact about this match!) Match Odds* City win 6/5 Draw 12/5 Chelsea win 21/10 *From SkyBet Coverage This match will be live on: UK: ITV US: Fox Sport Middle east: BeIN sports France: beIN sports Belgium: Sporting 1 You can check where the match will be broadcast in your country here. Or you can follow the match feed on the TalkChelsea Twitter account. Click here to view article.

LOL Jose certainly was in a feisty mood! But the comment about Wenger was over the top, imo. Funny, but a bit OTT

City's schedule is getting really congested with the 4 competitions and their squad depth really isn't great. I just wonder if forcing a replay tomorrow will be more damaging to them in the EPL than knocking them straight out.

If those injuries can significantly reduce his price tag, then it might be worth a risk. He really can be world class if he shakes them.

He's been loaned out for 26 days?!

Every single society in every single era, including our own, is "backwards" when compared to specific place and time frames. In fact if we are to use your criteria for a backwards society, which is being mostly homophobic, then 50 years ago, almost all countries and societies in the world were "backwards". Your current society probably has some "backwards" ideas and beliefs when compared to the Danish society 100 years from now even if you can't see them at the moment. You are judging the issue from a very narrow perspective which is the perspective of your current society and environment along with their current set of norms and morals. There is nothing wrong with that, in fact that is the most human thing ever. But, the issue is that football is a global culture and it belongs to people from all over the world with all sorts of beliefs and ethical backgrounds. It belongs to the people who come from a conservative Islamic society as much as it belongs to people who come from a liberal western society with a low tolerance for conservative Islamic societies like yourself. It also belongs to people who toss newborns down a temple for good luck in India, and the people who have a eat ash in Venezuela, and the people who worship the god "Mazda" in Iran without footballing having anything to do with Mazda or liberalism or homophobia. That does not, by any mean, imply that we should accept homophobia but you can't deem a country not "football worthy" for it. You just can't take such an aggressive stand against entire nations no matter how closed-minded and illogical their beliefs are. That simply does not solve the issue of homophobia in Islamic countries. If anything it makes them more defensive about their beliefs. There are various means which are much more effective at slowly tackling the issue of homophobia in conservative religious societies. Having a world cup in Qatar is not an endorsement of homophobia just like having a world cup in the US is not an endorsement of the "theory" of intelligent design and falsifying evolution.

I dunno. He might want to stay in his home country and be a starter than be a squad player here.

I'd worry more about Villa and Swansea away than Everton at home.

No one really had a standout performance against WBA, but if I had to chose a MOTM it would have been Smauel. I thought his movement was just sublime, especially in the first half.

I think that depends on Romeu himself. I think Oriol wants to stay in Spain. If that is the case then I doubt we will loan Marco out. But if Oriol returns, then I think Marco most likely goes out on loan.

Actually, I think was upset that Iva was yelling at the ref and not in position which resulted in Brunt have a free shot inside the area.

But there is no way you can know that, you're (rather cynically) jumping to conclusions. So you're booing him because there is a possibility that he might have dived against you? Just to be on the safe side? Strict bunch...

Means they'll have to pay him 9 years of wages without him doing anything.

No chance. Doesn't he still have like 9 years on his contract?!

One issue: The one against you was never a dive. It was never a pen but never a dive either. He fell because he was running at full speed and collided with someone after losing the ball. You should boo the ref who gave the pen. He did dive a few games later and got a yellow card for it. So if you were booing him for that then you should be booing half the players in the league.

Movement. His movement is outstanding, imo. But I agree with you, recently, Willian has mostly been better than Oscar at the #10 position.

Fine, that was stupid. Does that make the other statement not stupid? Fair enough, your opinion.

Did you even read my post? I'm saying criticize him all you want and I even agree with some of the criticism, just don't say something completely illogical and bordering on stupid like "He's an awful CB" and expect no one to call you out for it.

No you're right, mate, he's won all those trophies by sheer luck, became a starter for his NT because no one in Brasil knows how to play football, was bought by Chelsea for 25m because our scouts are shit and attracted interest from Barca and Bayern because they're bad teams and know nothing about football... I don't want to go into a debate about Luiz's abilities right now because I think it's pointless. Like I said, you have every right to criticize whatever you want about Luiz and I do see the most of the points being raised because like I said I think he's having a below than average season, but to call him someone as established and accomplished as him "an awful CB" is just ridiculous and blinded by hate.

Mine was actually about a game where he played at CM and I think a couple of others are as well. But the funny part is, here was your reply to my post: I'm not denying that Luiz can be error prone at times, and I get why some people want him gone, but the guy has also showed that he can be absolutely world-class and he perform at the highest level. My point is, let's not insult each others intelligence by calling him an awful CB.

Fine that was an exaggeration, just like you saying that no neutral fan holds him in high regards is an even bigger exaggeration. You can't deny that Luiz was very highly rated in the summer and was wanted by the likes of Barca and Bayern for a reason. He's having a below average season, but for all we know he could finish this season the way he finished last, as by far the best CB in England, and everyone would be saying that they wouldn't sell him for 40m again.