adminMANCHESTER. — In the space of a few hours tomorrow, Chelsea could win their first trophy in Jose Mourinho’s second spell as manager and take a big step toward capturing the English Premier League soccer title.
The first piece of silverware in the English season is up for grabs when London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham meet at Wembley Stadium for the League Cup final.
Mourinho won that competition in his first year at Chelsea in 2005, and also guided the team to the English Premier League later that season to launch the most successful period in the club’s history.
The same double could be repeated a decade later.
Before starting the cup final, Chelsea will know if their five-point lead in the league has been cut by second-placed Manchester City when the champions play away to in-form Liverpool. With only 12 rounds left, Chelsea will be an even bigger title favourite if City draw or lose at Anfield, where they haven’t won in any competition since 2003.
What plays into the hands of both Chelsea and City this weekend is that Tottenham and Liverpool have little time to rest after playing in the Europa League.
Chelsea’s players will have had a full week off before the final, while City played Barcelona at home in the Champions League on Tuesday, losing 2-1.
Arsenal are also looking to make amends for a disappointing home performance in the last 16 of Europe’s top competition this week when they host Everton in the league.
The Gunners were jeered off the field after losing 3-1 to Monaco on Wednesday.
There are three points between third-placed Arsenal and sixth-placed Liverpool in the standings. Manchester United and Southampton are fourth and fifth, respectively, and are in action today.
Chelsea have only lost three games all season — and Nemanja Matic wasn’t playing in two of them.
So, the midfield anchorman’s absence tomorrow because of suspension will be a major blow to Mourinho, who is likely to replace Matic with John Obi Mikel.
Mikel has played only one game in the past month.
The only time Matic was on a losing Chelsea team this season was against Tottenham in a 5-3 defeat on New Year’s Day.
A positive for Chelsea is that Spurs have only won four of nine matches that have followed their Europa League outings this season.
Meanwhile, scarred by mid-week Champions League disappointment, Manchester City have a golden opportunity to enhance their Premier League title defence when they visit Liverpool tomorrow.
City’s hopes of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time were dealt a sizeable blow on Tuesday when they fell to a 2-1 loss at home to Barcelona in the first leg of their last 16 tie.
The result seriously compromises their chances of going through and the extent of Barcelona’s first-half dominance will take some forgetting, but tomorrow’s return to domestic duties promises much.
With leaders Chelsea not in action due to their participation in tomorrow’s League Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur, a City win at Anfield will lift the defending champions to within two points of the summit.
City then face a kind run of fixtures, against Leicester City, Burnley, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace, at a time when Chelsea, held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley last weekend, have begun to show frailties.
Victory at Liverpool, the team City pipped to last season’s title, will not be straightforward, with Brendan Rodgers’s side unbeaten at home since November and on a 10-game unbeaten run in the league.
But Rodgers feels that Liverpool’s draining trip to Istanbul on Thursday, where they lost on penalties following extra-time to Besiktas in the Europa League, could give City an advantage.
Liverpool, currently sixth, will recall Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho after he was rested for the trip to Turkey, while Yaya Toure returns for City after missing the Barcelona defeat through suspension.
Another side bidding to overcome European disappointment are Arsenal, who host Everton tomorrow, four days after a demoralising 3-1 home defeat by Monaco in the Champions League.
A run of seven wins in nine games had seen Arsene Wenger’s side climb to third place in the league table, but with their Champions League hopes now hanging by a thread, the club have been plunged into doubt.
“It was a hugely disappointing night, you could feel that after the game in the stands and in the dressing room, but there is still a small chance (to qualify),” said German centre-back Per Mertesacker.
“We still have hope to come back even stronger from that disappointment.”
With just four points separating third-place Arsenal and seventh-place Tottenham, the battle for Champions League qualification is one of the fiercest for several seasons.
Southampton, a point below the top four in fifth place, visit West Bromwich Albion, where they will look to re-energise their season following a return of just one win in four matches.
Manchester United, a point better off in fourth place, are also hoping to return to winning ways after seeing a seven-game unbeaten run ended by a 2-1 loss at Swansea City in their last outing.
Louis van Gaal’s side welcome Sunderland to Old Trafford today and centre-back Phil Jones says United’s players are itching to get back onto the pitch.
“It’s an important game for us,” he told the United website. “It won’t be easy. Sunderland are a tough team, but we’ve done well at home recently and we need to bounce back from the defeat at the weekend.”
In the battle to avoid relegation, third-bottom Burnley host Swansea, while Tim Sherwood goes in search of his first points as manager of second-bottom Aston Villa when his new side visit Newcastle United.
Fixtures (all 5pm unless otherwise stated):
Today: West Ham United v Crystal Palace (2:45pm); Burnley v Swansea City; Manchester United v Sunderland; Newcastle United v Aston Villa; Stoke City v Hull City; West Bromwich Albion v Southampton.
Tomorrow: Liverpool v Manchester City (2pm); Arsenal v Everton (4:05pm).— AFP.
Online Reporter