Probable Lineups
4-3-3
4-2-3-1
Probable Lineups Statistical Comparison
* Values in brackets (x) are overall player statistics in Champions League grp. G.
Missing Players
Sporting
Chelsea
Player | Reason | Status | Rating |
---|---|---|---|
Rami Rabia | Out | N/A |
Player | Reason | Status | Rating |
---|---|---|---|
Diego Costa | Doubtful | 6.7 | |
Ramires | Doubtful | 6.54 |
Team News
Sporting
Chelsea
- Jefferson Nasciemento missed the game against Porto and was replaced by youngster Jonathan Silva, who could start again here having opened the scoring at the weekend.
- Elsewhere the team may remain unchanged from the 1-1 draw in the first group game with Maribor, with goalscorer on the night Nani hoping to prove a point against a Chelsea side he netted three times against whilst at United.
- Ramires remains the only injury doubt for Chelsea, though Mourinho's primary concern will be the fitness of Diego Costa, who he claims is doing 'almost nothing' in training.
- The Chelsea boss did claim after the Villa game that he wanted to play Costa in Lisbon, though Loic Remy will hope for a chance to impress if the Premier League's top scorer is rested.
- Filipe Luis may play once more having started against Schalke in the first group game and he could come in to allow either Azpilicueta or Ivanovic a chance to rest.
Good game. Toe-to-toe but Chelsea's individualities solved the game. Great game from Matic. William Carvalho is in really bad shape and Patricio and Joao Mario did great.
@libero- I think Sporting fans expect too much of Carvalho in an attacking sense against quality opposition. He really needs a quality passer beside him, similar to Matic in that respect, so he isn't forced to do more than his ability lets him. He would be an excellent addition to a perennial champions league team as a pure defensive midfielder.
@SteveHyland Actually, Steve, I think those passers are Adrien (Silva) and João Mário. I think Sporting's midfield is their biggest asset (their defense is their weakest). Adrien was alright but not his best game and I loved João Mário again (95% pass accuracy!).As for William, I thought about it and you're right. We shouldn't expect Carvalho to be Sporting's playmaker. His decison making has been poor and being slow is his biggest weakness. But he's nevertheless a great passer.
@libero I expected a lot from Carvalho given he is popular talent, but i see what you mean. I thought Sarr was terrible in the first half, but he grew into the game in the second.
@Ferit22 Sarr is still very raw in my opinion but I see some quality in him. He's very young and scored an own goal in his last game (a derby) so he's psychologically afected since then. Carvalho is a fantastic player but he's in very bad shape. Poor decision making and we haven't see is great deep-lying playmaking ability of last year.
Matic is one of the best midfielders in the worlds. Not just the goal, but his passing, tackling, marking and aggression is really something else. Broke up play atleast a dozen times
@Ferit22- One of the best defensive/sitting midfielders yes but don't get carried away, he is extremely limited as a passer. His high pass percentage owes a lot to him only passing the ball 10 yards or less to a more talented member of Chelsea's midfield. Gareth Barry does the same. The minute either of them try to play a cutting through ball or spray it long to feet, they look crap. Luckily Matic knows his limitations and never tries expansive stuff or running with the ball from deep etc. I do like him in the DM role though and he's been an excellent signing for Chelsea, mainly because he allows the attacking central midfielders like Fabregas and Oscar to just attack. If/when he is out and Mikel is in, you'll see Fabregas in particular looking backwards as though he thinks (knows! lol) Mikel will mess up a tackle or not track a runner.
@SteveHyland Also, you clearly havent seen a lot of him if you mean he doesn't run with the ball from deep. The guy ran the show against City and especially Yaya Toure in his away debut for Chelsea. I can admit that this year he has had a more deeper role because of the partnership with Fabregas, but that doesn't mean he isn't capable of doing it.
@Ferit22 i totally agree , and he is very consistent , till now i have not seen a bad match from him since his transfer , hell even an average . he is very important for chelsea .
@Jonty Thats the thing. The only match i can remember him having a subpar performance was against palace last season when the team lost 0-1. And he is not just a destroyer, he can also dictate the game with silky passing and good dribbling.
@Ferit22- Silky passing and dribbling? Are you sure you aren't mixing Matic up with Fabregas? :-p
@SteveHyland I think you are the one mixing it up. Ask any Benfica fan and they will tell you he had a more playmaking/dictating role in Benfica. At Chelsea he has played more like a traditional DM, but that does not stop him from gliding past people with ease. Also, have you seen his passing from defense to the AM's? That is something many DM's really struggle with, because of the high risk, yet Matic does it time and time again.
very close , all credits to rui patricio
If it wasnt for Patricio this would of been 4-0 or 5-0
MATIC !!!
oh man two clear chances missed , reminding me of the schalke game
oh man feels like i am watching a CL match now after watching the bayern game. the atmosphere is so much better and the crowd is amazing. anyways, hope for an awesome match.
4-0 CHELSEA EASY WORK
Chelsea is with no doubt a stronger team than SCP. But dont forget that playing at Home scp migth suprise...Just like they did against Man City 2 years ago,and tey were in worst form then this year... and we cant even compare,a team like chelsea that has players that alltogther amount to hundreds of milions of pounds...enough to buy the entire scp club... 1-2;0-2;2-1 or 1-1 for me seem the more reasonable scores! But if chelsea comes out scoring 3 or 4... it wont suprise me also :D.
@Reab It's one of those results that depend a lot on both teams form. A very strong Chelsea against a very weak Sporting might end with a big result (0-4 for example). A very strong Sporting might surprise a very weak (doubt it) Chelsea. But the teams' diference ain't big enough to say that even in their worst form Chelsea could beat a strong Sporting.
Chelsea in high momentum. Expect goal from Costa or any Brazilian. Also expect Hazard to destroy Sporting's defenses.
0-3, easy game.
hmmm I don't think it's goint to be that easy for Chelsea
Chelsea to win. But hopefully a good match.
lool nani is their star player. a united reject. chelsea will eat this team
@Ferit22 you are wrong, mate. Their star player is Carvalho.
@DelJuve I always wondered why no one signed Carvalho this summer. Great player. I think Mou will start a very strong 11 though. Have to get a win tomorrow
@Ferit22 His price tag was something like 35 mill. No club is willing to spend that on unproven talent