Chelsea vs. Wigan Athletic Preview

With seven games to go in the 2011/2012 Barclays Premier League season, the task at hand is fairly straightforward for Chelsea who will be looking to spike a 21 point haul in order to overtake either Arsenal or Tottenham for a Champions League qualifying berth.

The visit of relegation threatened Wigan Athletic to Stamford Bridge of Saturday April 7 should provide the Blues with an instant opportunity to potentially make up ground on their London rivals, however the hardened Latics will be a tough nut to crack after losing just one in their last six and enjoying back to back victories against Liverpool and Stoke.

Wigan’s excellent spell of form has not quite been enough to lift them out of the relegation zone; nevertheless they are now crucially just goal difference away from safety after being detached earlier in the campaign.

This will undoubtedly be Wigan’s most difficult fixture for a number of weeks however and they may be left firmly on the back foot again by the time they leave Stamford Bridge.

Interim boss Roberto Di Matteo continues to have an inspirational effect on the Chelsea squad who have been rapidly on the upgrade since Andre Villas Boas got the push.

A fantastic 0-1 success against Benfica in the Champions League quarter-final first leg was followed up by a 2-4 win at Villa Park, a fixture which was potentially tricky after Chelsea had failed to hold their league form on the back of European exploits earlier in the season.

Fernando Torres got himself on the score sheet – and the Spaniard is finally starting to come into his own.

Essentially, it is hardly surprising that Chelsea struggled for such a long way with their main missile failing to fire – but a rejuvenated Torres could be the difference between success and failure for Chelsea from here on in.

The only worry here for punters may be the notion that the hosts will have one eye on their second leg with Benfica just a few days after.

But Di Matteo will not want to rely on winning the Champions League in order to qualify for next season’s renewal and three points against Wigan will be an absolute must.

Wigan’s improved performances and results have certainly given them a fine chance of retaining their Premier League status but the outcome of that quest is unlikely to hinge on this contest for which they are massive outsiders.

Roberto Martinez should have no trouble galvanising his players after two confidence boosting wins but the gap in quality between the two teams is significant enough to point backers in the direction of a comfortable Chelsea triumph.

The 2/7 will probably make little appeal for the majority but a half time/full time wager looks fairly solid at around 4/6.

Wigan have managed to sneak four wins on the road which is better than some of their relegation rivals however in conceding thirty goals they have been vulnerable to the big guns and Chelsea can continue to expose such frailties by scoring three goals or more.

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02/04/2012     © Frixo 2024