Carling Cup Final 25 Feb - Chelsea v Arsenal
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Carling Cup Final - Sunday, 25 February 2007
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Chelsea v Arsenal
Ch 22 - 11:00 pm - (Live)
Chelsea: Cech, Cudicini, Hilario, Ferreira, Geremi, Terry, Carvalho, Essien, Makelele, Lampard, Obi, Diarra, Morais, Ballack, Drogba, Shevchenko, Wright-Phillips, Kalou.
Arsenal : Almunia, Diaby, Senderos, Baptista, Fabregas, Toure, Djourou, Rosicky, Henry, Denilson, Flamini, Gilberto, Clichy, Adebayor, Aliadiere, Hoyte, Walcott, Ljungberg, TraoreVan, Persie, Fabregas.
Chelsea v Arsenal - Match of the week 5pts game.
Accurate HT score: 1pt
Accurate FT score: 3pts
Correct W/L/D: 1pt
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Chelsea v Arsenal
HT:
FT: -
Cech Out for Cup Glory Bid
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has targeted Carling Cup glory at the weekend as the club looks to secure the first leg of a possible quadruple. The 24-year-old, who returned from a fractured skull last month, believes victory over Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium will lay the foundations to close the six-point gap on Manchester United at the top of the Barclays Premiership.
Cech, who won the 2005 trophy in Jose Mourinho's first season as boss, said: "It is the same as the first year when I arrived and we played in the Carling Cup final. "If you get your first trophy at the end of February, it gives you a lot of confidence and spirit to attack the last part of the Premiership."
Chelsea will also face Tottenham in the quarter-final of the FA Cup and clash with Porto, Mourinho's former club, in the Champions League knockout stages on Wednesday.
"During this week, Porto is very important," added the Czech Republic goalkeeper. "We play away and we need to start well in the Champions League first leg. "We have been doing well recently and we need to confirm our form."
Mourinho returns to his native Portugal for their midweek clash, then heads back to Cardiff on Sunday, where he famously gestured towards Liverpool fans to "ssshhh" during Chelsea's last Carling Cup final appearance.
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Chelsea v Arsenal
HT: 0-2
FT: 2-3 -
arsenal are going to use most of the youngsters. its gonna be one sided in my opinion
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Terry ruled out of Carling Cup final
Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho confirmed captain John Terry is out of the Carling Cup Final on Sunday. Terry was stretchered off with ankle ligament damage in the 11th minute of the 1-1 draw at Porto which saw Chelsea move closer to a place in the last eight of the Champions League.
The Chelsea and England captain appeared to turn his ankle as he went to clear the ball and immediately signalled to the bench that he could not continue. Now Mourinho has confirmed Terry will miss Sunday's showdown with London rivals Arsenal at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Mourinho said: 'We don't have Khalid Boulahrouz and we don't have John Terry. We have one central defender - Ricardo Carvalho.
'From the moment he was injured, everything changed. Michael Essien is one of the players in form in Chelsea. 'In midfield, he is almost unstoppable because of his power but he is playing as a central defender again.
'We are not in an easy situation. I do not know when John Terry will be back, but I am cool about it. 'It is unbelievable because of the injuries we keep getting. 'We have a lot of problems but we are surviving. We are there. We cannot cry about it. We have to play against Arsenal with Essien and Carvalho at the back - we don't have a choice.'
The Portuguese coach also hopes to have Arjen Robben, taken off at half-time with a muscle problem, fit for Sunday. Mourinho added: 'Andriy scored a crucial goal for us. He was brilliant. His effort for the team is amazing and so is his improvement.
'I think Robben's injury is a consequence of not warming up. I wanted to put Mikel Jon Obi on but they scored while we were down to 10 men, and so I put Robben on instead. 'He had to go straight on. I don't think it is a big thing. At half-time, he wanted to try and play on but I didn't want to lose another player for a long time so I decided to put Mikel on.' -
Chelsea v Arsenal
HT:0-0
FT:0-1 -
For once,my heart is with Chelsea.
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Arsene Wenger is putting his faith in Arsenal's energetic young proteges to beat Chelsea in the first all-London League Cup final on Sunday and bring the trophy back to the club for the first time since 1993.
Chelsea, who have won the competition twice in the last nine seasons and three times in its 47-year history, travel to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium without injured skipper John Terry.
They should still have enough experience and guile to get the better of a young Arsenal side, but will take nothing for granted following the youngsters' wins over Liverpool and arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur en route to the final.
League champions Chelsea would also like to avenge their defeat by Arsenal there in the 2002 FA Cup final -- and underline their position as not just London's top club, but also the country's number one outfit.
Wenger has said he will stick with the young team who have eliminated West Bromwich Albion, Everton, Liverpool and Spurs to reach the final with club skipper Thierry Henry likely to start on the bench.
"I believe the boys have the right mental strengths to finish the job, they have already shown that," Wenger said this week. Arsenal go to Cardiff after drawing 0-0 with Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup last weekend and losing 1-0 to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Winning the first English trophy of the season will be the perfect lift for the club.
INJURY LIST
"Every day I lose a player," coach Jose Mourinho lamented. "We have just one central defender again. We have to play Arsenal with (Ghana midfielder Michael) Essien and (Ricardo) Carvalho at the back because we have no choice."
One upside for Chelsea is the improved form of 30 million pound ($58.5 million) striker Andriy Shevchenko who has had trouble settling in London after seven years at AC Milan but who has scored five goals in his last seven matches including the equaliser at Porto.
Chelsea would prefer to remember Cardiff for their 3-2 triumph over Liverpool in the League Cup final two years ago, Mourinho's first trophy with the club and their third success in the competition after winning in 1965 and 1998.
They also beat Arsenal in the Community Shield in 2005 but their neighbours have happier memories of top competition in Cardiff having beaten Chelsea in the 2002 FA Cup final.
Probable teams:
Chelsea: Petr Cech; Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien, Wayne Bridge (or Ashley Cole); Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, John Obi Mikel (or Arjen Robben); Didier Drogba, Andriy Shevchenko
Arsenal: Manuel Almunia; Justin Hoyte, Kolo Toure, Philippe Senderos, Gael Clichy (or Armand Traore); Gilberto, Denilson, Abou Diaby, Francesc Fabregas; Jeremie Aliadiere, Emmanuel Adebayor (or Julio Baptista) -
Chelsea v Arsenal
HT: 1-0
FT: 1-1 -
Gallas looks unlikely to get his wish to start
the Carling Cup final
Gallas pleads for cup final berth
William Gallas has told Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger he is desperate to start Sunday's Carling Cup final against his former club Chelsea. Wenger has vowed to stand by the young players who have led Arsenal to the final but Gallas, 29, told The Sun: "I want to be in the starting 11.
"Not because we are playing Chelsea but because I'm suffering from a lack of playing time after three months out. "It strikes me as natural I should play but it is down to the manager."
Despite his plea to be in the team, Gallas said he respected Wenger's view that the younger players should be given a chance. "I think it is a good idea. It is a good thing for them to get to play in a final," said Gallas. "It will allow them to learn about the pressure of such big events."
Meanwhile, Claude Makelele has revealed that Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and his players are under intense pressure to deliver more success for the club. "Now Chelsea have become one of Europe's great clubs there is such pressure on the manager and players from the public and media," the Blues midfielder told The Sun.
"And from the owner, who puts pressure on behind the scenes. In truth, we don't really know too much about what is happening. "Roman Abramovich does not say a lot but we can see there is so much pressure the club is putting on the manager.
"It's unbearable, especially for the players. We want to be in the right conditions to win matches and, above all, trophies. "That is difficult with this internal pressure." -
Chelsea v Arsenal
HT: 0 - 1
FT: 1 - 2 -
IT is The Kids v The Cash at the Millennium Stadium tomorrow.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has used his new wave of players to amazing effect in the Carling Cup — and one of them hoping to impress again is Emmanuel Adebayor.
Ahead of tomorrowÂ’s final against Chelsea, Adebayor and club captain Thierry Henry talked to CHARLIE WYETT.
CW: When are you two heading to Cardiff?
TH: As I am not involved, I will be going on Sunday.
EA: I thought IÂ’d go on Monday!
CW: Thierry, wonÂ’t it be difficult for you watching from the stands?
TH: Ever since I have been here, I have hardly played in this competition. I played against Wigan in the semi-finals last year only because we were so short of strikers. I am more than happy for the kids. There is no gutted feeling of not playing.Obviously, I would rather be on the pitch than off it. Even in training, if I canÂ’t play I am desperate to be out there. But it would not be right if I was out there. The most important thing is that we bring back the cup. It will be a tough game. Yet even in the league at Chelsea this season we got a draw with a young team. Obviously, Ade is one of the young players who has done so well.
CW: Remember when you first met?
EA: I was playing for Monaco at Chelsea in the Champions League. Thierry, who used to play for Monaco, came to our hotel and we shook hands. He told me to keep doing what I was doing. He was very encouraging.
TH: People compare him to Kanu. They look similar, walk similar. Same shirt number. Same size feet! Everything. But there are also differences. Kanu was more of a short dribbler and Ade covers more ground on the pitch.
CW: You two clearly have a great relationship.
TH: Yes, we get on very well. Some people maybe think it is a recent thing, as we have started to dance after scoring goals. But we have got on well from day one. If I score he comes to me and if I score I go to him to dance. This started after both of us, along with Kolo Toure, went out one night. Obviously, it was more difficult for Kolo to follow us. We then decided we would do it during games.
CW: Any stick from your other halves?
TH: Not really. My wife says it has been kind of cool. She said it made a change from my moody celebrations!
EA: My mum said ‘You dance at home, outside and now on the football pitch’. I think it is fun, though the most important thing is that you win the game. There is no point scoring, dancing and then losing.
CW: Ade, if you score against Chelsea, will you head towards the Arsenal bench?
EA (grinning): We have a lot of plans. We have yet to put them into practice on the pitch.
TH: Yes, we have a new one coming. But we have to score first.
EA: Hopefully, we will score against Chelsea. I am really looking forward to it. We have great motivation. We are ready for it. It would be great for the club.
TH: Yes, it would be a great achievement to beat Chelsea. But I would like to stress there is a healthy rivalry between the clubs. Matches between us are never dirty. It is always a nice game. Never horrible. I hope all our young players enjoy the atmosphere, as it is so special. It will be the last cup game, hopefully, before going to Wembley.
CW: Tell us something about your younger players.
TH: The guy who has amazed me is Denilson. I have never seen a player adapt to the English game that quickly. You have less time in England than any other country. He is not big-headed but when he plays it is as though he owns the place. Cesc Fabregas was like that. It is the sign of a talent. Of course, there is Ade. He is an example of what you can achieve when you work hard. It is nice to see.
CW: Who is the quietest in the dressing room?
TH: Theo Walcott. He is so quiet, you donÂ’t even know he is there.
CW: The loudest?
TH and EA (together): Eboue!!
CW: Worst dancer?
EA: Cesc Fabregas. The worst dancer I have ever seen. Not since I was born have I seen anyone dance like that. We have to give him lessons. He really needs help. Seriously. We have played a lot of games recently, so we have not had time. But we have to get round to it.
TH: There is certainly a good feeling in this dressing room. It is too early to say quite how good we can be. But rarely have I seen quite so many youngsters in the same place. This team has the capacity to beat anyone. There is a lot of character and you have to give great credit to our African players. In fact, all of the African players in the Premiership. Where they come from, the pitches are terrible. I donÂ’t know how they deliver a good game. Sometimes, they play qualification games, seven hours on a plane and then have to come straight back. It is not easy. If you donÂ’t perform, oh my . . . .
EA: When you do well with Togo, you are a hero. When you do badly, they get on you. They want to kill your family and to break down your house. I had this after the World Cup. We went to the World Cup and they thought IÂ’d score 15 goals in three games. I could only do my best. DonÂ’t get me wrong, I love my country and am proud to play for it. It is just a different world. Very different to playing international football for a European country. When you go down to eat at the team hotel at 1pm, by 12.50pm all the food is taken. ThereÂ’s nothing left. But this is Africa. You have to go to a restaurant on your own.
CW: Presumably, you wonÂ’t have such problems at ArsenalÂ’s team hotel in Cardiff.
EA: Hopefully not! -
Yo ppl..got any nice place to catch this league cup final?
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Chelsea v Arsenal
HT: 1-0
FT: 1-1 -
Arsenal to get it.
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Chelsea v Arsenal
HT:1-0
FT:2-1 -
chelsea
0-0
1-0 -
Chelsea
1-1
3-1 -
Chelsea v Arsenal
HT:0-1
FT:0-1 -
Arsenal no chance lah... Wenger put out all his young players while Chelsea line-up all their big stars... Chelsea desperately wants to win this... Seems like not too important to wenger...
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Wat if they lose?
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no... it is called keeping the faith in the youngsters...
you do that to keep them loyal to the club.. give them something to aim for..
imagine if they actually win this!
i know they would be hungry -
chelsea on full front
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Men vs Kids.
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i have faith in arsenal young guns too.
