EPL Weekend - Oct 25 / 26 - Gameweek 9
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Saturday, 25 October 2008
Barclays Premier League
Blackburn v Middlesbrough, 12:30
Sunderland v Newcastle, 7:45
Sunday, 26 October 2008
Portsmouth v Fulham, 1:00
Wigan v Aston Villa, 11:00
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Match on Tv :Saturday, 25 October 2008Channel 22: "Live"Channel 27: "Live"Kick-Off - 7:00 pmSunderland v Newcastle - 7:45 pmBlackburn v Middlesbrough - 12:30 am(Same day Telecast)
Nil
Sunday, 26 October 2008
Channel 21: "Live"
Portsmouth v Fulham - 1:00
Channel 22: "Live"
Channel 27: "Live" -
Fernando Torres puts Chelsea-Liverpool clash ahead of Atletico Madrid return
Fernando Torres has rejected Atletico Madrid's invitation to return to the Estadio Vicente Calderon as a special guest for Wednesday's Champions League clash with Liverpool in order to enhance his prospects of being fit for the table-topping encounter with Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.
Hamstrung: Ferando Torres has stayed on Merseyside to concentrate on his recovery from injury
Sunday, 26 October 2008
Channel 27: "Live"Torres, who left Atletico for Anfield in the summer of 2007, will remain on Merseyside when his team-mates fly to the Spanish capital this morning after suffering a micro-tear in his hamstring during Spain's World Cup qualifier against Belgium last Wednesday.
The 24-year-old had been offered a VIP seat by Atletico president Enrique Cerezo for tomorrow's fixture, which is being staged at Vicente Calderon despite Uefa's initial insistence that the game be moved 300 kilometres from Madrid as punishment for racist chanting during the Group D encounter with Marseille earlier this month.
But with Liverpool due to travel to Stamford Bridge for the game of the season so far against league leaders Chelsea, Torres has opted to undergo intensive treatment at Anfield rather than spend two days in the Spanish capital.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said: "We talked with the doctor and physios, and with the player, and we decided it was important for him to stay here and continue with his recovery."
Although Benitez will be without Torres, injured central defender Martin Skrtel and the ineligible Sami Hyypia, who has not been registered in the club's Champions League squad, midfielder Javier Mascherano and Dutch forward Ryan Babel have both been declared fit.
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We can end Chelsea's unbeaten record, says Alonso
• Spaniard says win can spur Liverpool title challenge
Xabi Alonso is confident Liverpool can get a result from their visit to Stamford Bridge this weekend.
Xabi Alonso has illustrated the rising confidence at Liverpool by insisting that Rafael Benítez's team are equipped to enhance their title challenge by ending Chelsea's proud unbeaten record at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Chelsea last tasted defeat on home soil in the Premier League in February 2004 against Arsenal. Liverpool last emerged victorious at Stamford Bridge a month before that with a 1-0 win courtesy of Bruno Cheyrou, otherwise a flop at Anfield - but it remains their only league triumph at Chelsea since 1989.
Statistics are not stacked solely against the visitors in Sunday's encounter between first and second place in the Premier League, however. Liverpool are undefeated in all competitions for six months and their 20-point return from the opening eight games represents their finest start to a league campaign since Benítez arrived from Valencia in 2004.
Having finally beaten Manchester United in the league under the Spaniard this season, Alonso sees no reason why Liverpool cannot end Chelsea's remarkable run of 86 league games unbeaten at Stamford Bridge and inflict a first defeat in English football on Luiz Felipe Scolari.
"We know Chelsea have a great record at home in the Premier League. They haven't been beaten for four years at home and it is going to be really tough, but we honestly feel we are ready to get a good result there," the Liverpool midfielder said yesterday. "Beating United in our first big test of the season was very important for our confidence and this is another big test for us.
"Being the first team to beat Chelsea at home in the league after all this time would put us in a great position and it would send out an important statement, but we have to beat them first before we can think about things like this. Winning at Stamford Bridge could spur us on for the rest of the season but, even if we win, it would still be too early in the season to say too much about winning the title. There is still a long way to go."
Alonso was one of three injury doubts after Liverpool's Champions League draw at Atlético Madrid on Wednesday but is likely to have recovered from his knee problem before Sunday. Likewise Robbie Keane (groin) and Steven Gerrard (fatigue) are expected to feature against Chelsea, although Liverpool are awaiting a doctor's assessment of the Republic of Ireland captain before finalising their squad for the trip to west London. Fernando Torres is not expected to travel despite his intensive efforts to recover from a hamstring tear suffered on international duty with Spain last week.
"Fernando will be a big loss against Chelsea but we know we can manage the situation; we have to, and we have more strength in depth and more confidence now than we have had before. After the results we have had this season we are right to be confident," added Alonso.
"What happened in the semi-final won't have an influence on this game, I am sure of that," insisted the Spain international. "This is a different season, there are different players on both sides, a different manager at Chelsea and we can only focus on what happens during this game. We won't prepare for this game thinking about the Champions League semi-final or by using that for extra motivation. Both teams now have new targets to concentrate on and hopefully we can be the team to end their unbeaten home record."
Alonso admits, however, that Liverpool can ill afford to rely on yet another comeback to beat Chelsea, having won four of their eight league games this season after falling behind. The midfielder said: "We won't be going to Stamford Bridge with any fear. We respect them as a very good side but we are confident in our own ability and we believe we can win.
"What we cannot afford to do against Chelsea, though, is start as slowly as we have done in some games. We need to concentrate fully for 90 minutes because the quality of their players means they can punish you at any time."
Benítez v Blues
Premier League
2004-05
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
Liverpool 0-1 Chelsea
2005-06
Liverpool 1-4 Chelsea
Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool
2006-07
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea
2007-08
Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool
FA Cup
2005-06 Semi-final
Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool
Carling Cup
2004-05 Final
Liverpool 2-3 Chelsea aet
2007-08 Quarter-final
Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool
Champions League
2004-05 Semi-final
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool
Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea
2005-06 Group stage
Liverpool 0-0 Chelsea
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool
2006-07 Semi-final
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea aet
(Liverpool win 4-1 on penalties)
2007-08 Semi-final
Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
Chelsea 3-2 Liverpool aet
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BLUE IS THE COLOUR!!~
CHELSEA CHELSEA LETS WIN THIS!!!
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Well, lets be fair to them... I think a draw would sit very nicely with most non-supporting fans i guess... Anyway, with both on same points, something got to give... Either Chelsea drop 3 points or Pool drop 3 points or the third option, they both drop 2 points each...
I somehow find the third option the best...
