Premier League - Hull City vs Chelsea

The reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge on opening day of the Premier League season in August ended
2-0 to the home side. Oscar scored the first goal of the new José Mourinho era on 13 minutes after being played through cleverly by Kevin De Bruyne to put Chelsea ahead, and a sensational free-kick from Frank Lampard 12 minutes later doubled the Blues' lead, ensuring the Tigers' debut game in the top flight following promotion from the Championship the season previous was a fruitless one, and that the Special One's second coming lifted off in the best possible way.


-





-


The sides achieved contrasting results the weekend before in the Matchday 20 fixtures. Hull fell 2-0 to Liverpool at Anfield through goals from Daniel Agger and Luis Suarez, while Chelsea thumped Southampton 3-0 via goals from Fernando Torres and Brazilian pair Willian and Oscar.










The two sides go into this match on the back of starkly contrasting League form. Hull have won just 2 of their last 10 games in the League, with 5 losses, though still sit a respectable 10th in the table, 6 points clear of the drop zone. One of those wins was at home to high-flying Liverpool, however, on the first of December, and, having shown themselves to be something of a tricky package to deal with against a few of the Premier League's big boys so far this season, the Tigers will doubtless be believing they can replicate that form against the soaring Blues come the weekend.


Chelsea, likewise, seem to be well and truly pulling things together in the last several weeks. Following an extended period of up and down performances and results, José Mourinho's men appear to finally be gaining some consistency. A crucial win over title rivals Liverpool 2 weeks ago and a 3-0 trouncing of Southampton on New Year's Day in what's usually a tricky fixture for all traveling sides in their last 2 games have seen the Blues keep hot on the heels of the League's other pace-setters, and the West Londoners remain just 2 points off top. With 7 wins and 2 draws in their last 10 League games, the Blues go into Saturday's face-off full of confidence and purpose.











Among those injured for the home side are striker Sone Aluko and winger Robbie Brady, while Chelsea will remain without Frank Lampard and Branislav Ivanovic, who are both ruled out for the rest of the month.

Should be a straightforward win here.

No point in resting anyone, they're not easy to beat but they are certainly beatable.

Lulz

 

Uhh, I've just realised this game is tomorrow and not Sunday

For me, it's tonight.

Very close.

Hoping for:

Another week without a mid-week fixture. So that'll definitely affect the team selection, positively.

Exactly.

Kick wrote:For me, it's tonight.

Very close.

Hoping for:

Cech
Azpilicueta Cahill Terry Cole
Ramires/Mikel Luiz
Willian Oscar Hazard
Eto'o

Torres starting CF, apart from that I was correct.

Braggart

Says the man who gloats about himself after every match in the prediction thread.

There's nowt wrong with gloating when you've something worth gloating about. You on the other hand....

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLL!!!!!


Trademark Azzar

TORRRRRREESSSSSSS


Seals it!

Poor Juan .

FT: Hull 0-2 Chelsea


Good, professional performance.

Love hazards goal, and was a bit surprised by the Torres goal, he shot with his weak foot and made it

Great solid win here. As soon as we scored I knew we had won as they never really looked like scoring.

Once again, if DL4 gets some consistency in CM, he'd be very solid there.

Also loving the Cahill-Terry CB partnership as well as Willian-Oscar-Hazard

Two well taken goals too.

Oh my....

Obviously.

I don't know who you guys had but the commentary on this match was probably the most bias i've heard. Questioning every foul and touch and just belittling any efforts while any time Hull did anything got overexcited

When Huddlestone barged Eden in the head they were calling for a dive and that he probably should have been booked then went on about how it's just Huddlestone's english grit and steel :\

I watched it on NBC Sports here.

I watched Foxtell, mine was bad but the commentary was ahead of the visuals for half of the game.

He'd say who had the ball before they even passed it, very annoying!

NBC is like that too sometimes. It's just a split second, but it makes a huge, infuriating difference