Chelsea-Roma Preview: Free-Scoring Blues Aim to Conquer Stuttering Roma

Alan McGuinness previews Chelsea’s Match Day 3 encounter with Roma at Stamford Bridge with all the usual need-to-know information ahead of the game.

Initial Thoughts and Points of Interest

Well Saturday’s result wasn’t too bad was it? I’ve said this many times before when writing about Chelsea this season, but the score line could have been far greater than it was.

Chelsea will be looking to carry that sort of form into Europe against a tricky looking Roma side. Many expected these two sides to be fighting it out for top spot in Group A, but CRF Cluj have surprised everybody by beating Roma and holding Chelsea to a draw.

A win here would consolidate Chelsea’s position at the top of the group ahead of a potentially difficult trip to Rome in November.

Although Roma have made a shaky start to the season, Chelsea will have to be on their guard as their opponents possess a number of technically gifted players, such as Aquilani, Totti, and Vucinic.

Team News

Chelsea: Petr Cech is in line to make a return for the Blues after missing the 5-0 win over Middlesbrough at the weekend. Joe Cole and Ricardo Carvalho trained ahead of the game and have been included in Scolari's squad, while Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba, Ashley Cole and Michael Essien remain sidelined.

Roma: Francesco Totti is in line to start for Roma after returning from injury against Inter at the weekend. Roma will also be able to call on defenders Phillipe Mexes and former Chelsea player, Christian Panucci.

Recent Form

Chelsea: Expansive and free scoring, Chelsea remain top of the league after thumping Middlesbrough 5-0 and go into this game in perfect form, despite a hefty injury list.

Roma: Thumped 4-0 by Inter Milan on Sunday, and currently lying 14th in Serie A, the Giallorossi have won just two of their last seven games.

Quotes

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari admits that Chelsea are playing good football at the moment, but insists that winning comes first.

"I enjoy watching my team but I am more happy when we win," said Scolari.

"It's a pleasure, not only for me, but for the players that people like Chelsea football.

"We play beautiful football. But if we need three points in every game, sometimes it is impossible to play beautiful football.

"You will see a beautiful game against Roma because they play like Chelsea."

Scolari also added that he wants to win tomorrow to edge closer to qualifying for the knockout phase.

"We need to win tomorrow to qualify," Scolari added. "If we win, we'll have 50% or 70% of the qualification achieved.

"After we play Roma again, then Bordeaux. The last game will be at home (against Cluj). The most important game for us is tomorrow as, afterwards, if we draw or win one more game, we are in the second stage."

Midfielder Deco feels Chelsea have all the right qualities to go one better than last season and win the Champions League.

"The Barcelona team which won the Champions League played a stylish brand of football that any team would find hard to match,” said Deco, who could start his first game since September tomorrow night.

"The 2003/04 Porto side was also very strong. [Chelsea] remind me of that Porto team, but with even greater quality.

"In all honesty, the current Chelsea team has the maturity and presence to go further still."

Asked what he expects of his side tomorrow night, Roma coach Luciano Spaletti was clear.

"I want to see the team react by staying calm as a group," he said. "If the lads can keep believing in their qualities and face this difficult moment with serenity, it would be the best kind of reaction.

"This is an important game, but we have to look at our own difficulties before thinking about Chelsea. Our enemies are our own difficulties, we have to fight them. Of course, there is also Chelsea, which is a great club with one of the best coaches in the world."

Spaletti also denied that there was ever any chance of him becoming Chelsea manager last season. Spaletti was rumoured to have been in the running to replace Avram Grant, but the Blues eventually settled on Scolari.

"It doesn't bother me, there was never a moment where I was close to joining Chelsea, because I have never received any proposals," Spaletti said.

Former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise is expecting Wednesday‘s trip to Stamford Bridge to be a tough encounter for Roma.

Riise knows Chelsea very well, and famously scored a headed own goal last season that handed Chelsea crucial advantage that set them on their way to reaching their first ever Champions League Final.

"It will be a very tough game against Chelsea," said Riise.

"They are a team to be feared but we are ready to take full advantage of this chance.
If I play I will be ready to take control of the team against a club I really know well."


Prediction

Roma have some good players but they are on a poor run of form and Chelsea have been irresistible recently; I cant see the Italians getting anything out of this game. 3-1 Chelsea is my prediction.

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