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Chelsea could only take a point away from their last Premier League game against Swansea

Juan Mata covered the most ground for Chelsea in that game with 6.58 miles

Jose Bosingwa’s shot was going off target before Joe Allen deflected it in for Chelsea to equalise
Bosingwa has won 72% of tackles attempted this season and has made 44 interceptions and delivered 47 crosses making three assists

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres may be struggling in front of goal, but his tenacious work rate is paying dividends for the team. The striker has attempted 38 tackles so far this season, the 7th highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index

Manchester United won and scored two penalties to beat Stoke 2-0 in their last Barclays Premier League game

Carrick covered the most ground for United in that game with 6.65 miles

Hernandez and Berbatov both scored their 7th goals of the season respectively form the spot after Ji Sung Park and Antonio Valencia won the penalties

Berbatov’s goals have come from 14 attempts at goal while Hernandez’s have come from 27 attempts

Park covered 6.36 miles in the game, behind only top runner Michael Carrick

Park has two goals and three assists to his name this season, and has also completed a pass in his opponent’s half every three minutes 40 seconds while on the pitch

Data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the official player rating index of the Barclays Premier League.

Fernando Torres, Manchester United

One of Chelsea’s biggest games of the season takes place on Sunday when Man Utd visit Stamford Bridge and it could be a game where form goes out of the window with Chelsea looking to maintain a recent domination over Sir Alex Ferguson’s side on home turf. For those that don’t have a ticket for this exciting match, it will be live on Sky Sports 1.

Chelsea are the favourites to win this match and it is easy to see why. In the last ten domestic matches between these teams at Stamford Bridge Chelsea have six wins and there were also four draws. That means there were no wins for Man Utd during that run and that is a great achievement considering the battles at the top of the table in recent years. Chelsea are a fair price to win this match at odds of 8/5 whilst the only other option that really makes any appeal is the draw, which has been a bit of a problem for Chelsea recently, that outcome is 21/20 at the time of writing.

Man Utd may have gained more points recently but they have also lost more games than Chelsea. No team has lost fewer matches than Chelsea in the last ten Premiership matches, Chelsea have only lost once in that period of time whilst Man Utd have suffered two league losses in their last ten matches. Unfortunately Chelsea have drawn more than they have won in that period, four games have gone the way of Chelsea whilst Chelsea have drawn half of their last ten matches. It is worth noting that Chelsea haven’t won by more than one goal in over two months and five out of Chelsea’s last six wins over Man Utd at Stamford Bridge have been by a one goal margin. If you fancy Chelsea to win, why not boost the odds by backing them to win by exactly one goal, that outcome is 10/3 with some bookies currently.

Another thing that stands out from Chelsea’s recent matches and recent games between Chelsea and Man Utd at Stamford Bridge are the lack of goals. The last ten games between these teams when Chelsea were at home had under 2.5 goals as a winning bet seven times and under 3.5 goals as a winning bet in all of those matches, those outcomes can be backed at even money and 4/11 respectively. It is worth noting that six of Chelsea’s last eight matches have had under 2.5 goals in them also giving a further boost to that bet.

So if Chelsea win by a one goal margin in a game with two goals or less in then the only possible outcome can be a 1-0 home win. It is therefore a little surprising to see that bet available at 8/1. If the game is a draw then the only two realistic options are 0-0 and 1-1, those outcomes can be backed at 11/1 and 6/1 respectively whilst if you fancy a bigger margined win for Chelsea then 2-0 is the obvious choice at 12/1 with most bookies.

For a full list of the most generous free bets, visit OLBG.com.

It’s easy to do and only takes a minute.

Chelsea are in FA Cup action this week and it seems a good opportunity to examine Chelsea’s trophy odds for the season. Unfortunately it looks as though Chelsea are up against it in their bid to add to the trophy cabinet this season but Chelsea look sure to be more of a force next season.

The bookies make Chelsea a 7/2 chance to win any trophy this season whilst no trophies is a bit of a dead cert according to the odds compilers who make it a 1/6 chance that no trophies are won. Unsurprisingly the most likely of all trophies this season has to be the FA Cup, Chelsea are generally a 9/2 shot to win that and 11/1 and 66/1 respectively to win the Champions League and the Premiership.

You can also bet on Chelsea’s trophy multiples, the most likely double that Chelsea can achieve this season is a cup double, Chelsea can be backed at 50/1 to win both the FA Cup and Champions League. The FA Cup and Premiership double is available at 200/1 whilst Chelsea can be backed at 400/1 to win both the Champions League and the Premiership. Least likely of all would be a historic treble for Chelsea, it seems highly unlikely but might be worth throwing £1 at as that stake would return over £1000!

Chelsea chance’s of lifting trophies this season could be significantly boosted if they make some big signings this month. We have already heard about a bid for Shakhtar’s Willian but a successful bid for Eden Hazard is looking more and more likely. Less than a week ago you could get 4/1 that Eden Hazard would be a Chelsea player next month and this week the odds available are just 7/4. It certainly looks as though Chelsea could be preparing a huge offer for the highly sought after Belgian playmaker.

Meanwhile it looks as though Dider Drogba could still be off this month. Being at the African Cup Of Nations might complicate a potential transfer though and the bookies give the striker an even chance of staying or going, you can get 5/6 that Drogba is still a Chelsea player at the end of the month whilst he is also 5/6 to move in this January transfer window.

Join the pre-match discussion and analysis  at OLBG.com where other Chelsea fans welcome your opinion.

Gerry is a Chelsea supporter of some 45 years and is a season-ticket holder at Stamford Bridge. He lost his sight in 1979 as a result of diabetes whilst journeying to Burnley to watch his beloved Chelsea in a Second Division fixture that The Blues lost 1-0.

Gerry is hoping that some kind soul will be able to accompany him through customs at Gatwick Airport, get him to the stadium once in Naples and of course, help guide him back on-board the aircraft after the game.

Gerry is able to get to Gatwick but is desperate for help in getting to Italy as he feels that Chelsea will need all the support they can get on the night.

If you are able to give assistance to Gerry, please contact us and we will forward your information to him.

Romelu Lukaku, Norwich City

It was a good week for Chelsea fans last week with Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool all dropping points and Chelsea gaining maximum points courtesy of a 1-0 win at home to Sunderland and Chelsea look to have another good opportunity for three points this weekend when they travel to Carrow Road to face Norwich.

It certainly won’t be an easy game though, Norwich have been one of the surprise packages of this season, Norwich are ninth in the table and only twelve points behind Chelsea going into this match, not bad for a team that was in League One two seasons ago. Norwich’s recent form reflects their league position, they are eighth in the form table after two wins, three draws and one loss from their last six league matches. That is actually exactly the same form as Chelsea bring into this match.

The bookies seem to have gone a little short on Chelsea to win this match, AVB’s side are 8/13 to pick up all three points at Carrow Road, bigger odds could have been expected in a weekend where Liverpool are 4/6 to win at bottom three club Bolton. The draw has been the most common result for both teams recently and another draw in this fixture is priced up at 3/1 whilst Norwich are 5/1 for their fifth home win of the season in the league. Chelsea may not be great value but you can still get a decent price on them to win this match, it’s clearly not going to be an easy match and the last time Chelsea won by more than one goal was six weeks ago at Newcastle so Chelsea to win this match by a one goal margin could be the play for Chelsea fans at odds of 11/4.

Norwich were last in the Premiership in 2005, on that occasion Chelsea won 3-1 at Carrow Road whilst the previous meeting between the sides came more than ten years earlier in 1994, a repeat of the 3-0 win for Norwich on that occasion certainly wouldn’t be a welcome result here. The 3-1 win for Chelsea certainly looks the most likely if one of these results is to be repeated, that outcome is 12/1 but 2-1 looks much more likely at 15/2 whilst a 1-0 win like last weekend isn’t ruled out at 8/1.

Frank Lampard is Chelsea’s top scorer this season in the Premiership alongside Daniel Sturridge with nine goals apiece so it is a little surprising to see Fernando Torres the favourite in the goalscorer betting despite the fact the Spaniard will probably start up front in this match. Torres is 4/1 to score first and 11/10 to score anytime whilst Sturridge is 9/2 and 11/8 respectively in the first and anytime goalscorer odds but Lampard looks the best bet in this fixture at both 11/2 to net first and 15/8 to score at anytime.

Visit OLBG.com, the sports betting community, to discuss this match with other knowledgeable Chelsea fans.

You might recall that the club previously stated that they had `explored every avenue possible in redeveloping Stamford Bridge`. This has now been confirmed by Hammersmith and Fulham council to be a lie.

NO PLANNING APPLICATION WHATSOEVER HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO HAMMERSMITH  AND FULHAM COUNCIL REGARDING THE POSSIBLE EXPANSION OR PARTIAL  REDEVELOPMENT OF STAMFORD BRIDGE IN THE LAST 8 YEARS.

The council are quite willing to sit down with the club and explore every opportunity of redevelopment if the club so wish.

Many suggestions have been put forward to the club from different supporters groups about how Stamford Bridge could be expanded, to accommodate between 55 and 60 thousand supporters. But the club have continually ignored these suggestions.

We as supporters don’t wish to hold our club back. We have to expand and to be able to compete with other clubs without the benefit of a wealthy benefactor. We all know that.

But increasing the capacity of Stamford Bridge has got to be the priority, which would enable the club to stay in its ancestral home since 1905.

If the capacity can’t be increased and we have no alternative but to move, then so be it and as sad as that might be, we will no doubt all understand.

The time has come for all supporters young and old to submit any suggestions they might have, in possible expansion of part, or all of Stamford Bridge to reach the desired capacity.

PLEASE EMAIL YOUR SUGGESTION BY 18th JANUARY 2012 TO saynocpo@gmail.com

Once all suggestions have been received, we will present them to Hammersmith and Fulham council to discuss their feasibility, before forwarding them onto the club.

If the club then refuse to entertain pursuing any sensible planning solution, we will then understand that the clubs sole intention is to wrestle the CPO shares away from the shareholders and to either float the club on the stock market for financial gain, or redevelop the land themselves by relocating the club and benefitting from an enormous financial return.

I hope this is not the case, but by presenting the club with serious solutions of redevelopment, the response and decision will be with the club, with all to see.

We must not forget that the present board are only passing through and any decisions that they wish to make, have to be in the sole interests of the club and not individuals.

The match represents a repeat of the 2010 FA Cup Final, a game in which Chelsea won 1-0. That was the second time Portsmouth had reached the final i

Nathaniel Chalobah, Portsmouth

n three seasons having won the FA Cup in 2008. Since then it has been downhill for Portsmouth though, they have been plying their trade in the Championship for the past season and a half and currently seem to struggling in seventeenth place. It is therefore a little surprising to see Chelsea available at 1/5 to win this home match, perhaps the bookies are taking into account some of Portsmouth’s former glories, but either way that 1/5 is a very fair price. If you want to boost the odds a little you could back Chelsea -1 in the handicap market and that outcome is a bit more tempting at 4/7 whilst Chelsea -2 is 11/8.

It would be a big upset if Chelsea failed to win this match, anyone predicting a draw will be rewarded with odds of 6/1 should their prediction come true whilst an away win in this match is as big as 16/1 at the time of writing. Chelsea dominated this fixture when it was a Premiership match, they won all seven home meetings with Portsmouth in the Premiership and with Portsmouth now plying their trade a league below the Premiership you’d certainly expect that domination to continue. Chelsea won this match twice by scorelines of 3-0 whilst the biggest win was 4-0 and these could be the two most likely scorelines, 3-0 is available at 7/1 whilst 4-0 can be backed at 10/1, at those odds both outcomes could be covered.

With plenty of goals predicted it should pay to dip into the goalscorer markets. In a game like this you can’t guarantee that some of the stars will definitely play but if you have a goalscorer bet on someone who doesn’t play your stake will be refunded. Fernando Torres could do with some goals so he may be given the chance to play, Torres is 4/1 to score first, evens to score at anytime and 18/1 to score his first Chelsea hat trick. Frank Lampard will be keen to play and after scoring the winner against Wolves he is 9/2 to score first and 11/10 to score anytime whilst it could also be worth chancing David Luiz to score anytime, the defender is 6/1 to get his name on the scoresheet in this match.

Pick up a free bet from the large list at OLBG before placing your bets tonight!

Josh Mceachran, Portsmouth, Fratton Park

The FA Cup gets underway this week and Chelsea start their campaign with a home game against Portsmouth, a fixture that marks a repeat of the 2010 FA Cup Final. This means the fixture will get plenty of attention and as usual it seems Chelsea will continue to hit the headlines, hopefully for the right reasons.

Chelsea are short odds to win their Third Round tie against Portsmouth, they can be backed at just 1/5 at the time of writing to win the match and although those odds are very short, they look decent value against a team who is currently seventeenth in the Championship, especially when you consider Chelsea won all seven Premiership matches at home against Portsmouth. The draw is available at 6/1 whilst an away win, which the press would probably love, is available at 16/1.

With progression from the Third Round looking pretty much assured how much value is there in backing Chelsea to go all the way in this season’s FA Cup? Chelsea have a great recent record in the FA Cup, they have won the FA Cup three times in the last five seasons which is a pretty amazing record. That makes the current odds of 6/1 for Chelsea to lift the FA Cup look quite generous and those odds make Chelsea the favourites with the bookies to go all the way, although there is obviously the fact that Chelsea have a different manager now to those FA Cup successes to consider.

What could help Chelsea out a little is the Third Round draw in this season’s FA Cup. The likes of Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal to a certain extent all have pretty easy draws but Man Utd and Man City have been drawn against each other, meaning one of Chelsea’s biggest rivals for the FA Cup will be eliminated this weekend. Man City have home advantage in that match and are expected to progress which is why Man Utd are as big as 10/1 to win the FA Cup, whilst the uncertainty over Man City’s progression makes them a 7/1 chance. Spurs and Liverpool are both 8/1 and Arsenal are 9/1 to win the FA Cup. The bookies make Chelsea the most likely winners this season and it’s not hard to see why with some big question marks over the major competition.

Be sure to visit OLBG.com to pick up a generous free bet before placing your bets this weekend.

Didier Drogba, Aston Villa

Chelsea are the hot favourites to win this match, as they were against Wigan and Fulham, the bookies are offering odds of 2/7 at the time of writing that Chelsea take all three points in this match. Chelsea have won half of their last six games in the Premiership so although those odds are short you’d think Chelsea are well capable of justifying them. With so many draws recently for Chelsea and Aston Villa drawing their last match you can be sure that some punters will be willing to risk the draw at decent odds, the draw can be backed at 5/1 with one bookies and that certainly appeals more than an away win, Aston Villa are a huge 14/1 to take the three points.

There have been contrasting results in this fixture in the last few years, in 2010 Chelsea won this match 7-1 in an amazing win, that followed a 2-0 win in this fixture the year before. There have also been some very high scoring draws in this fixture too, last season the game finished 3-3 and four years ago the final result was 4-4. With a history of high scoring draws it could be worth having small bets on 3-3 at 125/1 and 4-4 at an astonishing 500/1.

Based on recent form there is cause for going for a lower scoring outcome, Chelsea have been averaging slightly less than two goals a game with eleven goals scored in six matches whilst Chelsea have conceded four goals at the other end during that time. Chelsea may be leaking the odd goal in most matches but they haven’t conceded more than one goal in their last six matches and they come up against one of the worst attacks in the league, Aston Villa have managed to find the net just three times in their last seven league games and two of those came against Bolton, who have conceded more goals than any other team. The fact that Chelsea haven’t kept many clean sheets this season means they are overpriced to keep Villa out in this match, Chelsea are 10/11 to keep a clean sheet against Aston Villa and 11/10 to win this game to nil.

If Chelsea are to win to nil then 1-0 and 2-0 would look the most likely correct scores, after all Chelsea have scored either one goal or two goals in their last four league matches, and 1-0 can be backed at 7/1 whilst the bookies think that 2-0 is the most likely scoreline at 6/1. Juan Mata has scored five home goals this season and whilst Chelsea are at the Bridge he could be the man to follow in the first goalscorer betting, Mata is worth a punt at 8/1 to open the scoring here.  Be sure to check out this list of free bets before placing your bets this weekend.