Preview: Mourinho to hit six points at the expense of Villa?
Jose Mourinho’s second coming at Stamford Bridge got off to a flying start as Chelsea beat newly-promoted Hull Tigers 2-0. However, it is highly expected that the Special One will be making a few changes to that side for this encounter with the clash against Manchester United in mind.However, the Portuguese tactician is well aware of the threat Villa pose which means that whatever lineup is put forward, will be a strong one.
Last week, Villa beat Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates to just show what is in store for their opponents. Indeed, confidence would be high following the win over Gunners and Lambert’s young charges would certainly be looking forward to taking the game to Chelsea.
Jose Mourinho it appears keenly watched Arsene Wenger’s side getting dismantled by Villa and admits that it did not surprise him much:
"It's not such a big surprise because Aston Villa can do that to any one of us," Mourinho said.
"Last season they had more points away from home than at Villa Park.
"They are a team with qualities to play away, to play the counter-attack game they played at the Emirates.
"They are a good team. It's not such a big drama, they can beat any one of the contenders."
Frank Lampard made amends for missing a penalty kick earlier on in the game by scoring the winner which was an excellently taken free-kick. Last season, the England international was on the verge of making a move away from Stamford Bridge. At the age of 35, Lampard might not be able to play all the games, something which his manager completely agrees with.
"He is not 25 anymore, so the crazy Lamps that wants to play every minute of a Carling Cup match against a team from the Championship, the crazy Frank that wants to play and beat the record of appearances and play every minute every match is not here anymore," Mourinho said.
With an emphatic win over Arsenal on the opening day it appears that Villa might not be involved in a relegation fight like they were last season. However, Lambert wants to focus more on the upcoming encounter against a side he feels, are favourites to win the title.
"Saturday has gone and you have to look to the one coming up against Chelsea, who are probably one of the favourites to win the title," said the Scott
"We'll give it a go, like we did on Saturday. All you can ask is that we go down and give a good account of ourselves.
"It's hard to get results against these teams at the best of times but when you're doing it back to back, against Arsenal and Chelsea, it makes it even harder.
Last time the two sides met at the Stamford Bridge, Chelsea ran riot and dismantled the Villans scoring eight goals past a helpless Brad Guzan. The American pulled off a string of fine saves in Aston Villa’s last game against Arsenal and will be hoping to put in a similar performance against a Chelsea side which is brimming with talent.
Aston Villa defender Nathan Baker will miss the trip to Stamford Bridge after being forced off during Villa’s 3-1 win over Arsenal on Saturday, whereas David Luiz will continue to nurse a hamstring injury which kept him out of Chelsea’s opening match against Hull Tigers.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels
A game involving Chelsea and a side that just beat Arsenal on their own turf is bound to attract a lot of attention. Naturally, people around the world would be eager to know where they can watch this game live.
Watch Chelsea vs Aston Villa live on Wednesday, August 21, 2013:
In USA at 14:45 ET on NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Network, SiriusXM FC
Fans in other part of the world can watch the match live on their local channels. Fans in Canada can watch the match live on Sportsnet World, whereas those in the Middle East can catch the action live on Al Jazeera Sport HD6.
If you cannot follow it on radio or on TV, make sure to stay locked on LiveSoccerTV.com for live scores throughout the game which closes the first round of fixtures in the English Premier League.
