Fourth-placed Portsmouth are today’s visitors to Stamford Bridge.
After Wednesday’s superb defeat of Barcelona, Jose Mourinho has told the players they must up the team’s goals-per-chance ratio.
“[A]gainst Aston Villa and Barcelona, the two last games at home, we had so many chances to score but at the end of these 120 minutes, we had scored twice. We have to try to put our level of scoring goals better. We have to score more goals with less chances.”
What price an Andriy Shevchenko hat-trick?
In team news, Jon Obi Mikel is suspended after his sending off at Reading, but his absence is offset by the return of Michael Ballack who has completed a three-match ban. Carlo Cudicini hasn’t recovered sufficiently from concussion so Henrique Hilario will celebrate his 31st birthday by making his League debut.
Glen Johnson, on a season-long loan at Fratton Park, is ineligible because he cannot play against his own club.
Harry Rednapp has taken Portsmouth to the next level with some shrewd buys, and a victory today would see them leapfrog Chelsea in the table. But Pompey haven’t won at the Bridge since 1955, and have lost all six Premiership meetings home and away.
The Blues are unbeaten at home under Mourinho; a win or draw today will stretch that incredible run into a 49th game.
