PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: BOLTON WANDERERS V CHELSEA

TALKING POINTS
After such an emphatic win against the same opponents on Wednesday, Carlo Ancelotti's biggest fear may be that his players think another triumph over Bolton will be a formality three days later. The fact that Chelsea are aiming to end a run of two away league defeats on the spin should allow for no complacency whatsoever.

As was reported yesterday, Wednesday night's win recorded an eighth successive home clean sheet in all competitions, a new high in impervious goalkeeping by the Blues while in the top flight.  

KEY STAT Bolton Wanderers are the only side not to have kept a clean sheet in the Barclays Premier League this season.

However, our all-time best was established in 1927 in the old Second Division, when Sam Millington kept the opposition out ten times in succession from Cardiff City in the Cup in March to Notts County in the League in September. Unlike this recent run, though, three of the games were 0-0s.

Which brings us to the lack of draws this season. Ten league games have passed without a stalemate for the Blues, and the last time that happened was 1994/95. The 11th, drawn match was a 1-1 with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

As we have frequently observed on this page, it is the draws that kill championship challenges. In losing to Villa but beating Liverpool, Chelsea emerged with three points. Two draws would have raised just two points.

Of course, it's better to win everything - as was almost the case away from home last season - but the confidence instilled by scoring 23 goals without reply in home matches this season must surely be reflected in away form soon enough.

The reassuring thing about playing Bolton in the Premier League straight after the cup win is that on six occasions in the last 15 years the Blues have faced back-to-back league and cup games, and four produced the same result in both encounters.

The games were as follows:
2005 Liverpool
Sep 28 Champions League (away) D 0-0
Oct 2 League (away) W 4-1 (pictured below)
2004 Arsenal
Feb 15 FA Cup (away) L 1-2
Feb 21 League (home) L 1-2
2002 Everton
Dec 4 League Cup (home) W 4-1
Dec 7 League (away) W 3-1
2002 Tottenham
Mar 10 FA Cup (away) W 4-0
Mar 13 League (home) W 4-0
1998 Arsenal
Feb 8 League (away) L 0-2
Feb 18 League Cup SF (home) W 3-1
1996 Wimbledon
Mar 2 League (away) D 1-1
Mar 9 FA Cup (home) D 2-2

This game arrives with more than a quarter of the campaign over. Carlo Ancelotti and his squad swap Lancashire for metropolitan Madrid on Tuesday evening - another back-to-back - and providing Professor Allardyce is wrong in his swine flu prediction, the return to fitness of several players is happening just at the right time.

Spurs have a decent track record of taking points off north London neighbours Arsenal in recent seasons, for all their failure to live up to early season hype. Locked together on 19 points, either would go level with Manchester United with a lunchtime win.

United themselves kick off the same time as Chelsea and face Blackburn, who are either rather good or extremely bad. They last won at Old Trafford in 2005.

Liverpool potentially face more capital punishment at Craven Cottage: Fulham have won on two of the Reds' last four visits.

Manchester City, whose matches always seem to lag behind the rest like Corporal Jones's foot, lost 3-1 at Birmingham in 2008, their most recent visit.

Barclays Premier League fixtures
Saturday
Arsenal v Tottenham 12.45pm - Sky Sports
Bolton v Chelsea 3pm
Burnley v Hull 3pm
Everton v Aston Villa 3pm
Fulham v Liverpool 3pm
Portsmouth v Wigan 3pm
Stoke v Wolves 3pm
Sunderland v West Ham 3pm
Manchester Utd v Blackburn 5.30pm - Setanta
Sunday
Birmingham v Man City 4pm - Sky Sports

The race for the Premier League Golden Boot
Torres (Liverpool) 9
Bent (Sunderland) 8
Drogba (Chelsea) 8
Defoe (Tottenham) 6
Rooney (Man Utd) 6
Saha (Everton) 6

Nicolas Anelka is returning to his old club where he scored 21 times in 53 Premier League appearances.

Click on tabs above for more briefing.  

MATCH REPORT: CHELSEA 4 BOLTON WANDERERS 0

The team may have been much changed, but the result remains the same. A tenth successive victory at Stamford Bridge in all competitions has put Chelsea into the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup.
There was another home clean sheet too, two goalkeepers contributing to that. Ross Turnbull replaced injured Hilario midway through the first half.
At the other end, Salomon Kalou and Florent Malouda netted before the break and Deco, with a superb striker, and substitute Drogba after it. A packed Stamford Bridge enjoyed those two goals, and sang the team to the finish with some Shed End favourites given a good airing.
The side was the one made public, in an unprecedented step by Carlo Ancelotti, on the morning of the game.
That meant a full debut for Daniel Sturridge with Salomon Kalou his partner. Didier Drogba was on the bench. Sturridge had his chances to open his account in the second half, but that moment will have to wait for another day.
Bolton's most renowned striker, Kevin Davies, wasn't involved at all.


Joe Cole had his first attempt of the game even earlier than on Saturday, this time knocking a 12^th second shot from the edge of the area straight at the keeper.
Deco then had a 10^th minute pop at goal from further out but with similar result. The Portuguese international was playing as the anchor midfield man, a job he had been given at times during the pre-season US tour. Cole was at the front of the diamond.
They were involved when a good Chelsea move developed into a Belletti cross, nodded down by Ballack to Sturridge. Challenged as he jumped by Ricketts, the 20-year-old went down but the cries for a penalty were brief and turned down.
A minute later a cross by Ferreira from the opposite flank did pay dividends. Collecting a throw, the stand-in left-back's delivery was good and Kalou picked up where he left off a week ago against Atletico Madrid, rising above the defence to head down and in.
The Blues were on our way but Bolton almost hit back straight away through Taylor who found himself in space in the box. Hilario made an excellent and brave block on the shot but as he did, the Chelsea keeper's head hit the turf hard.
He had treatment and continued, but only for another five minutes before he laid down, still troubled.He was able to walk off after more medical attention but his game was over. Ross Turnbull was on for his debut on 22 minutes.


Before the summer signing could touch the ball, Chelsea went 2-0 up. It was Malouda who both started and finished the move, Kalou centring the Frenchman's pass and when it bounced back off Zat Knight, Malouda was there to lash in from close range.
There were 25 minutes on the clock and Chelsea were well on our way to the quarter-finals.
Knight made a better fist of blocking a shot from Sturridge after a good Cole pass soon after and as Chelsea pushed for a third before the interval, Kalou failed to get enough whip on a shot after Ivanovic had joined the attack and caused the visitors problems. Then Al Habsi in the Bolton goal pulled off a very good one-handed save from the Ivorian.


Just before the break, Steinsson went in hard on Malouda but referee Andre Marriner, fresh from the controversies at Anfield on Sunday, ruled he had played the ball, much to Ancelotti's clear annoyance. Malouda raised himself and was able to play on.
For the second half, the teams swapped a player each. Essien came on for Kalou, Deco moving up to play alongside Cole and behind Sturridge as the shape switched to a Christmas tree. Elmander replaced Steinsson for the visitors.
Belletti, taking a Deco pass and surging into the area from the right had the half's first meaningful attempt, but his left-foot shot soared wide.
On 53 minutes Turnbull dropped sharply and smothered Mark Davies's shot after Bolton briefly stretched the Chelsea defence.
If the Blues backline had been open then, it was nothing compared with the cavernous spaces left by Bolton as we counter-attacked on 57 minutes. Cole played Sturridge in but delaying his shot, the new man eventually toe-poked well wide.
Cole gave Sturridge an almost instantaneous opportunity to make amends. In space, the England Under 21 international didn't delay and shot left-footed again. He went closer, but still wide of the Matthew Harding End goal. His chance for memorable full debut had gone. You had to feel for him.


Sturridge's second miss had been on 57 minutes and four minutes later, he was replaced by Drogba.
When Drogba's chance in front of goal came on 67 minutes, he fared little better than Sturridge, missing Joe Cole's centre after a blistering Chelsea counter-attack. No need to worry though, the ball fell to Deco who was unerring as he smashed it into the bottom corner to make it 3-0.
The whole move had begun with Ivanovic blocking a Gardner shot in the Chelsea area. A muscular presence throughout, the Serb defender was a man of the match contender.
Into the final 10 minutes, Deco volleyed an audacious attempt over. With 86 minutes on the clock, Klasnic was able to get a Bolton shot away that rolled onto the post, a combination of Ferreira and Turnbull dealing with the rebound.
With one minute of normal time remaining, Drogba added his name to the scoresheet with a classic centre-forward's far-post header, rising above two defenders to convert Cole's looping cross, the England man's comeback continuing to come along very nicely.
Our quarter-final opponents will be drawn Saturday lunchtime.
Chelsea Hilario (Turnbull 22); Belletti, Alex, Ivanovic; Ferreira; Deco; Ballack (c), Malouda, J Cole; Kalou (Essien h-t), Sturridge (Drogba 61).
Scorers Kalou 14, Malouda 25, Deco 67, Drogba 89.

Bolton (4-1-4-1): Al Habsi; Ricketts, Cahill, Knight, Samuel; Muamba; Steinsson (Elmander h-t), M Davies, Gardner (c), Taylor (Basham 64); Klasnic.