Bolton vs Chelsea LIVE - Match Preview

Bolton vs Chelsea

Bolton vs Chelsea TEAM NEWS

Didier Drogba and Daniel Sturridge both return to the Chelsea attack. Juan Mata completes the front three andin midfield, Raul Meireles takes over from John Mikel Obi in the holding role.

The defence is unchanged from Valencia so David Luiz keeps his place.

Bolton welcome back Gary Cahill and Kevin Davies but are without keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen. Adam Bogdan is between the posts.

Chelsea will line-up in the following 4-3-3 formation:
1 Petr Cech
17 Jose Bosingwa
4 David Luiz
26 John Terry (c)
3 Ashley Cole
7 Ramires
16 Raul Meireles
8 Frank Lampard
23 Daniel Sturridge
11 Didier Drogba
10 Juan Mata

Subs: 22 Ross Turnbull, 2 Branislav Ivanovic, 6 Oriol Romeu, 12 John Mikel Obi, 15 Florent Malouda, 18 Romelu Lukaku, 39 Nicolas Anelka.

Bollton are expected to line up in the following 4-3-3 formation: Bogdan; Steinsson, Boyata, Cahill, Robinson; Reo-Coker, Pratley, Gardner; Petrov, Ngog, K Davies.

Subs: Lainton, Vela, Knight, Muamba, Eagles, M Davies, Tuncay.

(English Premier League)

Date: Sunday, 2nd October 2011; Kick-Off: 13:30 GMT

Venue: Reebok Stadium

Bolton vs Chelsea - Catch all the latest team news, match preview, pre-match analysis, interviews, followed by LIVE match and a lot more right here at Chelsea FC News.

Bolton vs Chelsea - Chelsea currently third in the league take on Bolton Wanderers lying at the bottom of the league table.

Chelsea endured a frustrating draw at Estadio Mestalla against Valencia after having dominated most of the game until conceding the late goal.

Bolton Wanderers themselves are having a very tough run after losing last five of their EPL games conceding 16 goals in those five games.

Chelsea came of with a handsome 4-1 win over Swansea in their last EPL game but Bolton suffered yet another defeat after losing 3-0 to Arsenal.

Given the current form of both teams it appears that Chelsea shouldn't have any problems of coming away with three points from the Reebok Stadium. AVB and the Chelsea team will definitely be up for it and expecting Chelsea to come off with three points with ease.

Chelsea 4 Swansea 1 - Goals

Arsenal 3 Bolton 0 - Goals

Chelsea Team News

Fernando Torres begins a three-match ban, so either Didier Drogba or Nicolas Anelka will start up front. Frank Lampard might be back in the starting line-up after an impressive performance against Valencia which saw the midfielder scoring a well worked goal for Chelsea.

Daniel Sturridge who spent last 6 months of the 2010-11 EPL campaign at Bolton after being hired on loan could start against the team where he gained his confidence and scored 8 goals in 12 appearances to help Bolton to be in the top half of the league table.

Hilario remains the one player out short-term, due to hip and back muscle injuries but the experienced keeper could be available again after the imminent international break.

Michael Essien is the only long term absentee for Chelsea.

Bolton Team News

Bolton midfielder Stuart Holden is likely to be sidelined for six months after a follow-up operation on a knee injury revealed cartilage damage. 

David Wheater and Ivan Klasnic are both suspended, while Gael Kakuta is ineligible (on loan from Chelsea) and Jussi Jaaskelainen is doubtful with a leg knock.

Probable Team Line-ups:

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Boyata, Knight, Cahill, Robinson, Petrov, Muamba, ReoCoker, Pratley, Eagles, Davies

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Mata, Lampard, Meireles, Drogba, Anelka

Referee: Peter Walton

Chelsea FC - Team news pre Bolton

Andre Villas Boas on Dider Drogba and Daniel Sturridge:

"Drogba, in terms of fitness, is ready, He has been selected for a few games now and we wanted to give him a run in the Fulham game which wasn't possible because of the circumstances of the game. Against Swansea we thought about the same but circumstances left us with only the option to bring him in later in the game, but he is in top form and we just have to decide what we want strategically in the game."

"Sturridge is fully fit and the selection decision will be taken tomorrow. He has played his part in the last games apart from Swansea and Valencia and he is a player that we trust."

Andre Villas Boas on preparation before Bolton game:

"We have had two days of recovery sessions, bearing in mind the effort and the delayed flight this week. We came back from a very strenuous trip but we should be okay as we have enough time to recover, so I think physically the team will respond accordingly so no worries in that sense."

Andre Villas Boas on facing Owen Coyle and his Bolton side:

"Owen when he arrived at Bolton did a fantastic job to take them straight out of the relegation places, He is a person that took his coaching pro licence with me so I know and I get along with him pretty well."

"We have spoken at lot at this beginning of my career in England, and also when I was at Porto, and I respect him a lot as a manager and as person."

"His teams are well-organised and bad phases during the Premiers League can happen to anybody. I think due to his competence he will come out of it."

AVB on Carlos Tevez controversy:

"It is not my business and I am not in full control of the information, so I cannot give an opinion because that opinion might be false."

"It is not to do with me, it is to do with Man City. Everyone must deal with their own problems and I get on with my job."

Daniel Sturridge has no obligations in thanking Owen Coyle and Bolton for his current success at Chelsea which sees him being part of the starting lineup for Chelsea. On loan Sturridge became a hero at Bolton and that success today has made him among the first choice players in AVB's list.

Before the game ahead at Reebok he shared his views about his former club, Owen Coyle and Bolton team members, who he thanked for the support he recieved during his days at Reebok.


Daniel Sturridge on Bolton and its players:

"Everyone knows Gary Cahill, he is great on the ball and he is strong and a very good player and I think Kevin Davies is a great player.The way he plays football gives the players around him an easier life and he certainly made my job easier."

"I enjoyed my time at Bolton and I have a lot of love for the players and a lot of love for the manager especially, because he gave me the opportunities to showcase what I can do and I don't think I would be in the position I am in now without going to Bolton and without the manager there showing faith in me."

Daniel Sturridge on Owen Coyle:

"He is a funny character and not just Owen but his staff also, they get involved in training every day and you see the manager scoring goals and celebrating and throwing remarks about. He knows how to motivate a team and he knows how to motivate individuals."

"I can't speak highly enough of him and the way he likes to play his football. It is attacking and six or seven years ago everyone didn't like playing against Bolton because of the aggressive side, but he is trying to adapt that and bring players in who can play football."

Daniel Sturridge on Bolton's poor run of form:

"The fixtures weren't maybe nice to them but it is a long season and it is still early days now, You look at the Premier League now and it is a little closer than it was last season. I don't think they will go down, they have got too much of a good squad for that and they have a great manager behind them."

Daniel Sturridge on his role at Chelsea football club:

"I am fine and I travelled with the squad to Valencia but I wasn't involved, That is part and parcel of football and I am hoping to be involved and get some minutes on Sunday."

"As a winger you have to create more for the team and it is about adapting your style to the position, so it is a learning curve for me."

"I am getting used to playing and performing in a different way. My body is used to playing as a striker and I am used to moving as a striker and receiving the ball as a striker and it is different. It is a new position and I am learning and trying to adapt to playing there."

Bolton Manager Owen Coyle on his team's performances and the early tough fixtures:

""We recognize that it has been a tough set of fixtures - the toughest that anyone has had in the Barclays Premier League - but that is the nature of the league. We are going to have to play these clubs sometime over the course of the season, although we have managed to get them in the first five or six weeks."

Owen Coyle on Chelsea:

"We know that Chelsea are an outstanding team, but we also know that we are at the Reebok where we had a tremendous record last season. We want to get that back again and if we play well then it's a game we can win."

"The fans have been brilliant, I've got to say that. What we need to do, as a team and staff, is give them something to shout about because they have backed the players to the hilt."

"We recognize that it is a tough game and that after the weekend we will have played five of the teams that will finish in the top six. But again, we have a good team and good players and we have to be positive."

"If we come out of the game sitting on six points after a run like that then we would be content, without doing somersaults. We have to look to get a result on Sunday and then kick-on from there."

"We'll soon start picking up points and start moving up the league. The bottom line is that if you win games then it rectifies everything."

Owen Coyle on Andre Villas Boas:

"Ultimately he is a winner. I saw that when we did our pro-licence together, This is not somebody who thought 'I'll go to Scotland on a whim and do a coaching badge, and then I might come back a year later."

"This is somebody who knew exactly how they wanted to plan their future development, to go from one year to another to progress."

"That emphasises how meticulous he is in his preparation, and that goes for everything."

Owen Coyle on AVB's managerial talents and his personality:

"I think all of us on the course could see that. As a group we all liked him, we all took to him, and I certainly felt he was somebody driven to succeed, very good at what they do and obviously wanting to progress."

"And like anybody else, because we all crave the same thing, if an opportunity did arise then I felt pretty sure he would take it, and he has done. He has become an outstanding manager."

"He is an absolute gentleman, Under Jose he had a fantastic set-up to learn, but when you sit down with him as well, you find he is a gem."

"He is somebody whose company you like. You could sit and chat with him all night about football, and any other topic, because he is a very intelligent man as well."

"And what a lot of people might not know about him is he has a very good sense of humour. He joined in with the banter, gave as good as he got, and we liked that about him. He didn't take himself too seriously."

"If you give a bit of stick you have to take some as well. We all did that openly with a big smile on our face, and he was a big part of that."

"I became very good friends with him on the back of that, and he is somebody I've a lot of time for, and because of that I'm looking forward to Sunday."

Official Team News, Pre-match interviews, detailed match preview and much more to FOLLOW SOON

KEY STAT

Bolton have not breached our net at the Reebok for 12 ½ hours since Henrik Pedersen managed it in November 2002 during a 1-1 draw.

Our Last Meeting at Reebok 

Do let us know what will be your starting line up for the game against Bolton on Sunday. Who will start for you? Lampard, Drogba, Luiz, Anelka..... Express your views and opinions on our Facebook Fan page

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Bolton vs Chelsea - History
Our last 10 Premier League games against Bolton at the Reebok 
2001/02 - Drew 2-2
2002/03 - Drew 1-1
2003/04 - Chelsea won 2-0
2004/05 - Chelsea won 2-0
2005/06 - Chelsea won 2-0
2006/07 - Chelsea won 1-0
2007/08 - Chelsea won 1-0
2008/09 - Chelsea won 2-0
2009/10 - Chelsea won 4-0
2010/11 - Chelsea won 4-0


Bolton v Chelsea in all competitions
Games played 113
Chelsea wins 49
Bolton wins 36
Draws 28


Biggest league win at Burnden Park (Bolton's previous home ground) and the Reebok Stadium for each team
Bolton 6-0 Chelsea 04/03/1959
Bolton 0-4 Chelsea 31/10/2009, 24/01/2011

So get ready for some pulsating action at the Reebok Stadium. Come on CHELSEA!!! KTBFFH.

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