Chelsea FC: 10 Teams We Love To Beat and Why
Chelsea’s recent rise to become one of the biggest clubs in world football under owner Roman Abramovich has seen the club become more accustomed to winning trophies season after season.
The priorities now are obviously to continue to challenge in all four competitions, particularly to win the "holy grail" of the Champions League.
However focused the club may be on these objectives, there are certain fixtures the players and fans are both desperate to win each campaign. With the Premier League fixture list coming out on June 17th, here are the teams Chelsea will look forward to facing and hopefully beating in the coming season, as well as a few old enemies that we won’t see in the league next year but could be an opponent in the cup competitions.
1. Tottenham Hotspur
1 of 10
One of the first fixtures Chelsea fans will look for on this season’s calendar is Tottenham. The clubs have had a great rivalry ever since Spurs won the FA cup with a 2-1 victory over the Blues in 1967, however since the Premier League began in 1992, it has been Chelsea who have dominated, as Spurs have won just three of the 38 league meetings between the sides.
Two dramatic late twists made last season’s meetings special. At White Hart Lane, Didier Drogba missed a last-minute penalty which could have brought Chelsea our first league win away at Spurs since 2006; the game ended 2-2. In April, Salomon Kalou scored a late winner after Frank Lampard had equalised towards the end of the first half despite replays showing that the ball may not have fully crossed the line.
Whatever happens this season, we can be sure that the teams will provide a nail-biting encounter with neither side wanting to lose.
2. Liverpool
2 of 10
Whether it is in revenge for Luis Garcia’s infamous “goal that never was” or delight at the memorable 3-2 League Cup final victory for Chelsea back in 2005, Chelsea fans will always cherish the prospect of triumphing against Liverpool.
Jesper Gronkjaer’s winning goal against the Reds saw Chelsea qualify for the Champions League in 2003, prompting Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich to buy the club and invest huge sums of money on new players. Since then, Chelsea have dominated Liverpool in terms of league standings, finishing above them in 7 of the last 8 seasons.
There have been several unforgettable meetings in recent seasons. A 4-4 draw in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal at Stamford Bridge saw Chelsea progress to the last four at Liverpool’s expense 7-5 on aggregate, but only after one of the most remarkable games in the club’s 106-year history.
After the signing of Fernando Torres, the rivalry between the sides has increased even further and when Torres and the rest of his teammates play Liverpool this season they will want to make up for the two defeats last year.
3. Manchester United
3 of 10
Five out of the last six Premier League seasons have seen the top two places in the table being taken up by Chelsea and Manchester United. There have been several huge fixtures between the teams that have ultimately led to the winner finishing as league champions, most recently in United's 2-1 victory at Old Trafford in May.
The crucial matches are not just in league meetings either. Didier Drogba's winner saw Chelsea beat the Red Devils 1-0 in the first FA Cup Final at the new Wembley in 2007, while United came out on top in the Champions' League Final in 2008, a match remembered for John Terry's agonizing miss in the penalty shootout.
United's dominance in the Premier League era may be continuing, however Chelsea have been their biggest threat in recent years and the side that finishes highest out of the two in the 2011-12 campaign has a very good chance of being the one crowned as league champions at the end of the season.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
4. Arsenal
4 of 10
Despite six seasons without a major trophy, Arsenal are still one of Chelsea's biggest threats when competing for silverware. Arsenal were the closest challengers when the Blues won their first league title for 50 years in 2005 and prove to be a tough opponent in every meeting; the most recent fixture at the Emirates saw the North Londoners win comfortably 3-1.
Chelsea's players will be eager to make sure Arsenal's run without silverware continues in the 2011-12 season by beating them home and away, none more so than Ashley Cole, who is hated by the Gunners after his move from North London in 2006.
5. West Ham
5 of 10
Much to the delight of many Chelsea supporters, West Ham finished bottom of the Premier League table last season and were relegated to the Championship.
Although this means our only possible fixture with them next season would be in a domestic cup, it is likely that the Hammers will return to the top flight within the next few years so we can be almost certain that we haven't seen the last of them.
Several former Chelsea players that were only on the fringes of the first team have gone on to play for the Hammers, including Tal Ben Haim, Scott Parker and Carlton Cole, whereas Frank Lampard and Joe Cole both went in the other direction onto bigger and better things at Stamford Bridge.
The rivalry between East and West London means that this fixture is always a big one for the fans, and thankfully Chelsea have come out on top in our last three meetings.
6. Barcelona
6 of 10
Barcelona may be the champions of Europe and arguably one of the greatest club sides of all time, but Chelsea fans will always have something to say about the manner in which they overcame us in the Champions League semifinal in 2009.
After a goalless draw at the Nou Camp, Michael Essien's spectacular volley looked to be a worthy winner as Chelsea led 1-0 in stoppage time in the second leg at Stamford Bridge. However good a strike Andres Iniesta's last-gasp finish was to send Barcelona into the final where they would beat Manchester United, it was only after referee Tom Henning Ovrebo had turned down all of what could quite easily have been four Chelsea penalties within the match.
This is, of course, no fault of Barcelona's, however Chelsea will forever feel aggrieved at how we did not deserve to be beaten.
A better outcome came in our second-round tie in 2004, when John Terry scored a memorable late header to secure a 5-4 aggregate win; if Chelsea meet them in the competition this year, then hopefully we can produce a similar result.
7. Millwall
7 of 10
Notorious for having some of the most violent football hooligans of the 1980s, Millwall haven't played against Chelsea since an FA Cup tie in 1995.
The rivalry between the clubs was perhaps made well-known after the 2004 film "The Football Factory," in which the hooliganism involving the Chelsea "Headhunters" and Millwall "Bushwhackers" was portrayed.
If the clubs are to meet in the near future then both will be eager to ensure that the game is remembered for football rather than violence, although the match would still be one that both sides would be desperate to win.
8. Leeds United
8 of 10
Chelsea's rivalry with Leeds United dates back to the 1960s, where the sides fought in many fiercely contested matches. None of these were to match the 1970 FA Cup Final, however, regarded by many as one of the dirtiest matches in the competition's history.
After the Wembley Final had finished 2-2, a replay was played at Old Trafford in which goals from Peter Osgood and David Webb sealed a 2-1 victory in extra time. Since then, games between the two sides have always been highly anticipated although the clubs haven't met since Leeds were relegated from the Premier League in 2004.
9. Fulham
9 of 10
Although only two kilometres separate Fulham's stadium Craven Cottage and Stamford Bridge, the rivalry perhaps isn't as big as its geography suggests.
The truth is that Fulham were only promoted to the top flight of English football in 2001 and are not as big a rival as the likes of Arsenal or Manchester United because they just aren't as much of a threat to Chelsea when challenging for trophies.
Nevertheless, it is always nice to win a local derby, and so Chelsea are always keen to beat Fulham to maintain their pride as the dominant side in West London.
10. Manchester City
10 of 10
Under the ownership of billionaire Sheikh Mansour, Manchester City are becoming an increasingly bigger threat when it comes to silverware. Last season's FA Cup triumph is likely to be the first of many trophies as City continue to spend huge sums of money to buy some of the world's best players, including the likes of David Silva and Yaya Toure.
After City qualified for the Champions League, they will be looking to challenge Chelsea on all four fronts next season, and so victories in matches against them could be crucial to our chances of winning trophies.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
