Champions League - Sporting Clube de Portugal vs Chelsea

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Matchweek 2 of the Champions League group stages sees Chelsea travel to Lisbon, Portugal to face off against capital city denizens Sporting Club, in a match both sides will be hoping to use as the launchpad to better showings in hitherto limp European campaigns. Indeed, each of the sides comes out of Matchweek 1 with only a point to show for it, a pair of 1-1 draws against their respective opponents to credit.
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It's also a match that will be a first of its kind; the sides have never played a competitive game against one another before – though they do share one connection, in the form of José Mourinho. When Sir Bobby Robson was appointed manager Sporting in 1992, the Englishman didn't speak a word of Portuguese, and hired the young Mourinho as his interpreter. Eventually, the two began discussing tactics and coaching. Robson was sacked by the Lisbon club 2 years later, but moved on to Porto and later Barcelona, Mourinho in tow every step of the way, and thus the future Chelsea manager, 2-time European Cup-winner and 7-time League champion was born.










As mentioned, the sides achieved identical results 2 weeks previous in their Matchweek 1 fixtures, both taking the lead in their respective face-offs, only to be undone by late equalisers from their opponents. Chelsea faced off against an injury-ridden Schalke side they were expected to turn over with ease, a supposition apparently bought by the Blues players, whose performance against the German side was lacklustre at best, and despite taking the lead in the first half through Cesc Fàbregas, were later denied an opening day 3 points by a Jan Hunteelar goal on the break with half an hour to go.

In very much the same vain, Sporting too failed to get a victory many saw as a formality. The Portuguese, facing off against Slovenian minnows and speculative group whipping boys Maribor, only managed to take the lead late on through Nani 10 minutes before time, but were themselves deprived a full 3 points when a stoppage time equaliser after a pretty ghastly mistake at the back gifted the home side an opportunity, and one which they didn't fail to capitalise on.










As a consequence, the 4 sides all finished Matchweek 1 on level terms, and, much in keeping with José Mourinho's comments going into opening day, largely dismissed as mere a show of humility at the time, that this group was more competitive than most pundits were making it out to be and that his  Chelsea side would be tackling it as nothing less than that, Group G heads into Matchweek 2 as evenly-matched now as it was before a ball was kicked.










Missing for the Blues will be no one save midfielder Ramires, who is likely to be sidelined through to after the international break, though there is a possibility Diego Costa will not feature either after José Mourinho announced last week that the Spaniard is unable to play more than a game a week with the minor problem he's currently carrying.

Certainly going to be an interesting game.

We need a result here so I think we'll play a reasonably strong team. Without Ramires I think it has to be a Fabregas-Matic pivot.


Time to get our first win of the CL campaign.

Have a bad feeling about this game, for some reason...

I don't.

We're in good form, yet to lose and much stronger than Sporting.

Our travels in Europe last season weren't exactly stellar...

Meh, we're much better than last season.

Think the fact that Mourinho left Diegoat on so long yesterday even after the game was well dead and buried means he'll not be featuring in this match.

Still have Remy.

Really hope Drogba doesn't start!

That makes 2 of us...

Probably everyone but Jose and Drogba hopes that.

Indeed.

Besides, we need to save him for Arsenal on Sunday

For when we sub off Costa

Why wait? I say we play without a goalkeeper and start Drogs up front with Costa

Since they have no midfield, we could drop Matic or Fabregas for him?

No, I'm sticking with Courtois.


Mourinho could beat Big Bird in a coma and Wellwide couldn't score if we extended the posts to the corner flags.

http://www.soccernews.com/sporting-lisbon-v-chelsea-hosts-protecting-fearsome-home-record/156027/

Sporting Lisbon host Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League looking to maintain their superb home record in continental competition.

It will not be an easy assignment for the Premier League pacesetters, with Sporting defending a 16-game unbeaten run in European fixtures on home turf, while they have only lost once in their last nine games to English visitors.

Training ahead of tomorrow's match.

Diego Costa trains with Chelsea as José Mourinho prepares for Champions League clash with Sporting Lisbon in Portugal:
José Mourinho hopes Diego Costa will be fit enough to start for Chelsea in their Champions League match against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday night, and the striker took part in a training session at Cobham before tomorrow's game
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2773556/Diego-Costa-trains-Chelsea-Jose-Mourinho-s-men-face-Sporting-Lisbon-Champions-League.html

http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2014/09/lisbon-bound.html

Ramires and Didier Drogba were absent as the squad departed London ahead of tomorrow's Champions League game against Sporting Lisbon.

Newsflash: Diego Costa to start:
Speaking at his pre-match press conference in Lisbon, Jose Mourinho confirmed Diego Costa will start tomorrow's game against Sporting
http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2014/09/newsflash--diego-costa-to-start.html

"There is a risk, but he plays. We assume the risk. Hopefully everything goes well and hopefully from Tuesday to Sunday he has enough period of time to be back on track and to play against Arsenal."

Hm. Surprised by that tbh.

Poor sporting, looks like we've got Diego Costa starting The three points in the bag