Chelsea FC – Wigan Athletic
Wigan have proven themselves a formidable force in the past few weeks and Roberto Martinez will push his team to challenge Chelsea this last Premiership match day. Defender Mario Melchiot has claimed Wigan will not give Chelsea a difficult time for Sunday’s match at Stamford Bridge. Carlo Ancelotti needs 3 points on Sunday to clinch the Premier League title but has insisted he will not take this match for granted. Last week’s 2-0 away victory at Liverpool and their 7-0 win against Aston Villa the week before shows the Blues’ determination as the season closes.
Wigan have an impressive record against Big Four teams this season; having beaten Liverpool, Chelsea and most recently Arsenal. Their April 18th match against the Gunners saw them go down 2 goals before scoring 3 to win after the 80th minute. As the table stands, the Latics are safe from relegation and will play for pride alone at Stamford Bridge. The Blues will have both revenge and the title on mind as they hope to turn out yet another dominating performance in front of their fans.
Match details:
Chelsea FC vs. Wigan Athletic
Sunday 9 May, 2010 – 4:00 PM (CET)
38th match day
Stamford Bridge – London
Possible starting XIs:
>> Chelsea FC: Cech, Ivanovic, Alex, Terry, Cole, Lampard, Ballack, Malouda, Kalou, Drogba, Anelka.
>> Wigan Athletic: Stojkovic, Figueroa, Gohouri, Caldwell, Melchoit, McCarthy, Diame, Moses, Watson, Gomez, Rodallega.
Current table:
# | Team | Games | V | D | L | Goals | Diff. | Points |
1 | Chelsea FC | 37 | 26 | 5 | 6 | 95-32 | 63 | 83 |
15 | Wigan Athletic | 37 | 9 | 9 | 19 | 37-71 | -34 | 36 |
Head-to-Head in English Premiere League:
Date | Match | Result |
26-09-2009 | Wigan Athletic – Chelsea | 3:1 |
28.02.2009 | Chelsea FC – Wigan Athletic | 2:1 |
24.08.2008 | Wigan Athletic – Chelsea FC | 0:1 |
14.04.2008 | Chelsea FC – Wigan Athletic | 1:1 |
03.11.2007 | Wigan Athletic – Chelsea FC | 0:2 |
13.01.2007 | Chelsea FC – Wigan Athletic | 4:0 |
23.12.2006 | Wigan Athletic – Chelsea FC | 2:3 |
Summary:
Chelsea are determined to win this match and put it beyond a reasonable doubt. Wigan have nothing left to play for this season and have been especially weak on the road with a 3-2-13 record. Earlier this season they beat Chelsea 3-1 at the DW Stadium; the return fixture will see an incredibly motivated home team who have 2 very good reasons to drive the score up.
Prediction: Chelsea