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Chelsea Special: Predicting Carlo Ancelotti's Likely Line-Up Against Arsenal

Italian has nearly full-strength squad to choose from on Sunday.

Nov 28, 2009 6:56:29 AM

EPL: John Terry, Chelsea - Manchester United (Getty Images)

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EPL: John Terry, Chelsea - Manchester United (Getty Images)

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Carlo Ancelotti will be comparatively happy with the options available to him for Chelsea's crucial Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, especially considering Arsene Wenger has a number of worries for his Arsenal team.

Long-term injury worry Jose Bosingwa will be the only enforced absentee from the squad tomorrow, after the Italian confirmed yesterday that Frank Lampard has managed to recover in time for the game.

"Frank is fit yes, he trained yesterday and today very well," Ancelotti said at his pre-game press conference.

"He is in good condition and is ready to play.”

Assuming Lampard is fully fit — or, at least, fit enough to start — he will slot back into midfield alongside Michael Ballack, with Michael Essien returning to his familiar role at the base of midfield.

This would give Ancelotti the mixture of attacking intent and, perhaps more importantly, the defensive solidity he believes his side will need against a creative and fluid Arsenal midfield.

If Lampard is only fit enough to make the bench, then it seems likely John Obi Mikel will adopt the holding position, releasing Essien into a more advanced role.

This move would be in preference to swapping the Englishman for Florent Malouda, who offers a lot going forward but doesn’t quite offer the security that will be needed in this testing away trip.

Elsewhere, the majority of the team is easy to predict. Petr Cech will start in goal, with Ashley Cole, John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho likely to make up three of the back four.

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Branislav Ivanovic must be the favorite to start at right-back, although Ancelotti could potentially opt instead for Juliano Belletti if he wants to put more attacking pressure on Arsenal’s left back position — after all, with both Gael Clichy and Kieran Gibbs out for the Gunners, it could well prove an area for the Blues to exploit.

Up front, Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba are certain to start together, looking to continue in their rich vein of form this season.

The only other position that might be up for discussion is at the tip of the diamond. Ancelotti has traditionally preferred Deco there in the big matches this season, and the Portuguese international was taken off midway into the second half of the midweek game against FC Porto, perhaps suggesting he was being preserved for Sunday’s game.

On the other hand, the former Barcelona man has been poor in the majority of games he has played this season, so his manager might instead opt for Joe Cole to take on the responsibility.

Pick me | Cole will be hopeful of starting on Sunday

The Englishman has shown fleeting moments of brilliance since his return from injury, and on balance is probably in slightly better form than his team-mate.

It could well be a match-day decision for the manager, and arguably Cole’s greater defensive commitment will give him the edge.

With a near-full squad to choose from, Ancelotti will stock the bench with options to cover every position.

Hilario, Belletti and Alex (who is surely only a few more games away from pushing for Carvalho's starting spot) will provide defensive options, while Mikel, Malouda, Deco and Salomon Kalou will provide cover for their team-mates.

Considering the importance of the match and the strength of the squad available, it would seems unlikely that exciting youngster Gael Kakuta will be in the match-day squad.

Predicted Team (4-4-2): Cech; A. Cole, Terry, Carvalho, Ivanovic; Essien, Lampard, Ballack, J. Cole; Anelka, Drogba.

Substitutes: Hilario, Belletti, Alex, Mikel, Malouda, Deco, Kalou.

Alex Dimond, Goal.com

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