Chelsea v Bolton - Blues to rest midfield duo

Posted Tuesday, April 13, 2010 by PA

Chelsea will rest at least two players in their Barclays Premier League clash against Bolton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

Midfielders Deco and Joe Cole will be replaced in the starting line-up by Michael Ballack and Salomon Kalou.

Right-back Branislav Ivanovic is expected to return to the squad after recovering from his injured knee. However, Michael Essien (knee); Ashley Cole (ankle); Ricardo Carvalho (ankle) and Jose Bosingwa (knee) are all sidelined.

Carlo Ancelotti's side are now favourites to become the seventh club in history to achieve the League and FA Cup double.

Manchester United's goalless draw with Blackburn on Sunday left Chelsea a point ahead at the summit with a game in hand.

That was enough to prompt Sir Alex Ferguson to launch his latest version of mind games by suggesting that the title was now Chelsea's to lose.

"I hope that Alex is correct," Ancelotti said. "Maybe before you can say it will be easy, but I haven't played an easy game this season.

"To play and win at Blackburn is not easy. They're a strong team at home. They drew against United, and that was a good result for us, but only if we win tomorrow.

"No matches are easy, even if you go out and score a lot of goals in the game itself. No, it's mind games. Ferguson is clever.

"On paper we are favourites against Bolton, but only on paper. It's normal that Chelsea will win in theory, but we need to go out and achieve this.

"The title is in our hands. We are able to do our best, to maintain this level, we can win it."

Midfielders Mark Davies and Ricardo Gardner both return to Bolton's squad.

Davies missed Wanderers' last match - the 1-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa - on April 3 with injury while Gardner has not played since the 4-0 reverse at Sunderland just over a month ago.

Manager Owen Coyle is still without long-term injury victims Stuart Holden, Chris Basham, Gavin McCann, Sean Davis and Joey O'Brien.

Coyle has brushed off Manchester United boss Ferguson's dismissal of the encounter as an "easy game" for Chelsea.

United dropped points in the Barclays Premier League title race after a goalless draw at home to Blackburn on Sunday.

In his post-match comments Ferguson accepted it would be difficult for his side to catch Chelsea, who are now a point ahead with a match in hand.

"We have a lifeline if Chelsea blow it. But in my eyes they have an easy game against Bolton on Tuesday," said the United boss.

Coyle has more important issues of his own with Bolton five points above the relegation zone having lost their last three matches, so he was not concerned by Ferguson's attempt at playing psychological games with his players.

"That's up to him. That's his opinion, he has it and he's given it - all very well," said Coyle. "I'll concentrate on what we can do and not what anyone else says."