EPL Match Previews: Chelsea's Mata Gets Ready for Norwich Debut
After struggling in both their opening games, new Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas will be looking forward to a more comfortable victory against newly-promoted Norwich.
However, it is easier said than done, as Norwich have managed to avoid defeat in both their opening fixtures.
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Norwich have drawn against Wigan and Stoke City, but manager Paul Lambert will be quite aware of the fact that facing Chelsea is an entirely different proposition. However, he could easily take cues from Stoke City, who managed a draw against the Londoners.
Creativity has been one of the main issues for Villas-Boas in the two games that he has managed. The arrival of Juan Mata, though, will solve the crisis to some extent. Villas-Boas knows that he is already behind expectations when it comes to goal-scoring and domination of matches.
A challenge for the title will be impossible if Chelsea drop any more points in their opening matches, which appear easy on paper. Villas-Boas is most likely to have all three new signings—Mata, Lukaku, and Romeu—on the bench. Daniel Ayala will not be taking part in the match after being ruled out for two months.
Manager Alex McLeish finally came close to winning over the Aston Villa fans following an incredible display of attacking football against Blackburn Rovers, but the Scotsman will be extremely aware that his side needs to maintain the same level against the Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In fact, this game is more important than the Blackburn match, as a win in this contest could offer more than just three points; it offers bragging rights, as well.
Even though Mick McCarthy's men will be on the away side, they are likely to be highly confident that they will get something from the match. This may be due to their recent form, which saw them at the top of the table last weekend, though only for a brief period.
Two wins out of two matches will definitely have provided the Wolverhampton Wanderers with great confidence ahead of the match. McCarthy will be keen to continue this run, which would ensure that they avoid relegation, McCarthy's top priority this season.
Mick McCarthy will be without Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, who suffered ligament damage in the midweek match against Northampton. Aston Villa do not have any new injury worries, and McLeish has a fully fit squad to choose from.
After their impressive win over Everton last weekend, Neil Warnock's Queen's Park Rangers will have the opportunity to take away three points again, as they face Wigan Athletic.
Despite facing newly-promoted clubs in their first two matches, Wigan have been able to take only two points.
Though Wigan manager Roberto Martinez may argue that they came close to winning both of them, it is the points that count at the end of the day. Martinez will be keen to take the three points, especially considering that this is a home fixture.
Despite winning against Everton, Warnock is likely to be cautious against Wigan, as he will not have forgotten the 4-0 thrashing on the opening day against Bolton. Warnock was quite happy to exit the League Cup after suffering defeat at the hands of Rochdale, but he will be extremely aware that losing should not become a habit.
Warnock will be without Kieron Dyer and Jamie Mackie, while Roberto Martinez will be without Steve Gohouri and Antolin Alcaraz. Rodallega—one of the stars from last season—is expected to make his first start of the season against QPR.
After the embarrassing loss to Aston Villa, Blackburn manager Steve Kean tried to put on a brave face by saying that his team played positive and attacking football. Clearly the opposite was the case.
Blackburn supporters will most likely not take another defeat of the same manner easily. It would not be surprising if Steve Kean's job comes under threat following a loss to Everton. However, Kean could not have wished for a better opponent than Everton, who are struggling both on and off the field.
Everton's form while playing away last season was extremely poor, with the team managing just two road victories in 2011. David Moyes has admitted that Everton could struggle to make it into the top 10 this year. However, if there is one manager who can carry on even with plenty of difficulties, it has to be Everton's David Moyes.
Moyes will have a major selection boost in the form of the Russian winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, who is now available for selection after completing his suspension. Meanwhile, Blackburn have most of their defensive players like Christopher Samba, Gael Givet, and Ryan Nelsen fit again.
This is an extremely crucial season for Sunderland, after spending a lot of money over the summer. It has yet to yield dividends, but manager Steve Bruce will be more concerned about his team's concentration than anything else.
So far, if the standings only counted the second half against Liverpool and the first half against Newcastle, Sunderland would rank much higher in the table. Since football is a match of 90 minutes, Sunderland find themselves down at the bottom of the table without a win so far this season.
Steve Bruce will be looking for a performance in both halves, which will certainly improve their chances of a win against Swansea. After being thrashed by Manchester City on the opening day, Swansea are yet to recover from the shock. They did manage a draw against Wigan last weekend, but lost to Shrewsbury Town in the League Cup match midweek.
Even though Brendan Rodgers will be happy to exit from the competition, he knows that a victory would have helped their confidence massively.
Swansea will still be without Garry Monk for the match against Sunderland.
One thing that Bolton manager Owen Coyle can conclude after the match against Manchester City is the fact that his team, at the moment, do not have any trouble scoring.
In two matches, Owen Coyle's men have scored six goals, and they will need every single attacking force they have against Liverpool, especially as it has been nine years since Bolton took a point away from Anfield in the Premier League.
Even though they could only draw their opening match against Sunderland, Kenny Dalglish's men have claimed a significant advantage by beating one of the top four sides—Arsenal—last weekend. It has not only provided them with their first win of the season, but also has given them a massive confidence boost as they look for their first home win of the season.
Kenny Dalglish looks set to start with Luis Suarez, who impressed after coming on against Arsenal last weekend. New signing Tuncay Sanli impressed for Bolton against Macclesfield Town in the midweek match, and is in contention for a starting place.
