30 May, 2009
Everton v Chelsea
vs
How they got there:
Everton:
Jan 3, Everton 1 - 0 Macclesfield
Feb 4, Everton 1 - 0 Liverpool
Feb 15, Everton 3 - 1 Aston Villa
Mar 8, Everton 2 - 1 Middlesborough
Apr 19, Everton 0 - 0 Manchester United (Everton win 4-2 on penalties)
Chelsea:
Jan 14, Chelsea 4 - 1 Southend United
Jan 24, Chelsea 3 - 1 Ipswich Town
Feb 14, Chelsea 3 - 1 Watford
Mar 7, Chelsea 2 - 0 Coventry City
Apr 18, Chelsea 2 - 1 Arsenal
How they are looking:
Both teams are in fairly good form at the moment, stringing together a number of results. The Cup Final will be Chelsea's last game under influential Dutch manager Guus Hiddink, who has been very successful for Chelsea since joining them mid-season. Didier Drogba will be a key man for Everton to watch, as if the Toffees show a similar weakness to the long ball as they did against West ham, then Drogba could play a massive part.
Everton have been weakened by the loss of their Player of the Season, Phil Jagielka. Jagielka has been brilliant at centre back all season, climaxing with his winning penalty against United in the semi-final. In his place will be regular centre half Joseph Yobo, who has made an impressive recovery form injury. Chelsea will have to be wary of Australian midfielder Tim Cahill, who seems to relish the big games, and has an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time. His move to a centre-midfield role will suit Chelsea, as his forward surges are somewhat reduced.
Chelsea would seemingly have the upperhand going into this clash, however recent meetings suggest otherwise. A scoreless draw at Stamford Bridge the week after the semi-finals gave only a hint of what we can expect next Saturday.
My Prediction:
(This is incredibly biased and is not reflective of any neutral observer)
Everton 2 - 1 Chelsea
Everton score early in the first half through Louis Saha after Steven Pienaar surges down the left flank. This is equalised only minutes later by Drogba, who is too quick for Joseph Yobo after Michael Ballack plays him through.
The half time deadlock is broken with ten to go by Tim Cahill, who rises off a delightful corner to head past Cech. Wembley erupts as he bashes the shit out of the corner flag.
SBS coverage begins at 10:30
Everton v Chelsea
How they got there:
Everton:
Jan 3, Everton 1 - 0 Macclesfield
Feb 4, Everton 1 - 0 Liverpool
Feb 15, Everton 3 - 1 Aston Villa
Mar 8, Everton 2 - 1 Middlesborough
Apr 19, Everton 0 - 0 Manchester United (Everton win 4-2 on penalties)
Chelsea:
Jan 14, Chelsea 4 - 1 Southend United
Jan 24, Chelsea 3 - 1 Ipswich Town
Feb 14, Chelsea 3 - 1 Watford
Mar 7, Chelsea 2 - 0 Coventry City
Apr 18, Chelsea 2 - 1 Arsenal
How they are looking:
Both teams are in fairly good form at the moment, stringing together a number of results. The Cup Final will be Chelsea's last game under influential Dutch manager Guus Hiddink, who has been very successful for Chelsea since joining them mid-season. Didier Drogba will be a key man for Everton to watch, as if the Toffees show a similar weakness to the long ball as they did against West ham, then Drogba could play a massive part.
Everton have been weakened by the loss of their Player of the Season, Phil Jagielka. Jagielka has been brilliant at centre back all season, climaxing with his winning penalty against United in the semi-final. In his place will be regular centre half Joseph Yobo, who has made an impressive recovery form injury. Chelsea will have to be wary of Australian midfielder Tim Cahill, who seems to relish the big games, and has an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time. His move to a centre-midfield role will suit Chelsea, as his forward surges are somewhat reduced.
Chelsea would seemingly have the upperhand going into this clash, however recent meetings suggest otherwise. A scoreless draw at Stamford Bridge the week after the semi-finals gave only a hint of what we can expect next Saturday.
My Prediction:
(This is incredibly biased and is not reflective of any neutral observer)
Everton 2 - 1 Chelsea
Everton score early in the first half through Louis Saha after Steven Pienaar surges down the left flank. This is equalised only minutes later by Drogba, who is too quick for Joseph Yobo after Michael Ballack plays him through.
The half time deadlock is broken with ten to go by Tim Cahill, who rises off a delightful corner to head past Cech. Wembley erupts as he bashes the shit out of the corner flag.
SBS coverage begins at 10:30
