Chelsea enter the Tigers' Lair... ok, so it's really just a visit to Hull.

Carling Cup / Editor / 26 September 2007 / 1 Comments

Will Chelsea's Mourinho hangover trip them up in the Carling Cup?

Is this a chance for stuttering Chelsea to 'begin playing attractive football' or will new boss Avram Grant be content to grind out a positive result?

The tie would normally look like a routine job for Chelsea's second string but in the post Jose Mourinho era, when there are challenges to the manager's legitimacy (no license), injuries to key players and points have been dropped in the Premier League, the trip to the cauldron of The KC Stadium may not be such a formality.

The Blues disappointing start to the Premier League - which has seen them drift to 5.4 from a low of 2.14 in the Winner market - and the 1-1 draw against Norwegian minnows Rosenborg in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge, have done nothing to inspire confidence. They have also been beaten twice on the road, albeit against an unpredictable Aston Villa side before Sunday's 2-0 loss at Manchester United.

Chelsea, are of course, still hot favourites to win the game (1.5) and are just 1.2 to qualify for the fourth round of the Carling Cup, but their unattractive style and patchy form is not that of the Premier League's biggest spenders - only two goals scored in their last five games is surely a concern.

Grant, who takes charge of the Blues for just the second time, will again be without two prolific scorers, Frank Lampard (thigh) and Didier Drogba (knee), while Michael Ballack (ankle) will also be missing.

Andriy Shevchenko tops the First Goalscorer market at 5.1 but he has managed only one goal in three appearances this term and appears to be short of ideas, while the likes of Joe Cole (8.2) and Florent Malouda (8.2) are not fairing any better from attacking midfield berths. Claudio Pizarro, who averaged almost a goal every two games for Bayern Munich, may be the man punters latch onto at 5.3.

Henrik Pedersen is set to make his first start for Hull after proving his fitness and is the shortest priced player from the home side in the To Score market. The former Bolton star is expected to replace Dean Windass, who is struggling for fitness in what will be seen as a major blow considering he has three goals from six Championship outings.

Another Bolton old boy Jay-Jay Okocha is also prominent in the market and Chelsea fans will remember what awkward opponents the Trotters were, and a 2-1 Premier League win at Stamford Bridge in December 2003 is still etched on the memory.

But with Hull averaging just over a goal a game in the Championship, and Chelsea a similar Premier League ratio, the lower end of the Total Goals market may prove popular while in the Over/Under 2.5 goals market, 'Under' is trading at around 2.04.

In addition to attacking problems, Chelsea have conceded eight goals in their seven Premier League outings so far and are the only side in the top 12 to have a negative goal difference and the betting could be close in the Chelsea Clean Sheet market, as it gains liquidity.

The Tigers have also had a poor start to the season scoring just over a goal a game and conceding nine from their seven outings so far, managing just a solitary win from their three home fixtures. However, this is a massive game for the club who will be roared on by their passionate fans - many of whom will have taken the 9.2 about a shock.

You have to go back 19 years almost to the day for the last Hull win over Chelsea, in the old second division, and for a repeat of that unlikely 3-0 scoreline 130 is available to small stakes. Any positive result though would surely do for the Championship side, as Grant instigates his promised "change" to Chelsea's "style of football".

Comments (1)

1. Bluegrey | 26 September 2007

   Good piece on our game.