Lol

Manchester City striker Sergio
Aguero will be out of action for
up to six weeks with the knee
injury sustained in Saturday's 1-0
win against Everton, Manuel
Pellegrini has confirmed.
Aguero has scored 19 goals in the Premier League and
Champions League this season, but will now miss City's crunch
clash with Roma on Wednesday as well as several top flight
matches.
Fears that the Argentina striker could miss the rest of the
season were quickly dismissed on Saturday evening as
speculation over the extent of his injury grew.
And a scan on Sunday revealed that while he suffered damage
to his knee ligament, he avoided a break and should therefore
be back in action with Pellegrini later confirming he will be out
for "four, five, (or) six weeks".
As well as Wednesday's match in Italy, which will decide the
club's European fate this season, Aguero could also miss
games against Leicester City, Crystal Palace, West Brom,
Burnley and Sunderland, as well as an FA third-round clash
with Sheffield Wednesday.

Stamford Bridge tonight hosts our final European match of
2014. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul
Dutton gather together the group stage finale facts and
figures...
TALKING POINTS
Already confirmed as Group G winners, Chelsea will look to
respond strongly to Saturday’s result at Newcastle, but
most likely with a significantly changed starting 11. Nine
players began each of the last three Barclays Premier
League games over eight days. Definitely rested this
evening, Jose Mourinho has said, are John Terry, Willian
and Eden Hazard. Dynamic teenage midfielder Ruben Loftus-
Cheek is set to make his debut at some point in the game.
Sporting have won their last four games in all competitions
and are unbeaten in six matches, but they have never
beaten a Premier League side on English soil in this
competition. ‘I would like Sporting to qualify,’ the Chelsea
boss said of his compatriots, but ‘with seven points’ (their
current total).
Marco Silva’s side have also won just one of their last 17
European away games, losing 10 and drawing the other six.
Never the less a point tonight would book their passage to
the knockout rounds.
Key Stat
Chelsea are on a run of seven successive wins against
Portuguese opponents, including the 2013 Europa League
final against Benfica.
The Blues’ first defeat of the season in any competition at
St James’ Park came in the 15th league game on 6
December, making this the latest we have gone into a
season unbeaten. The 90-year record of 14 games
undefeated from the start of a season, set in the old
Second Division between 29 August 1925 and 21 November
1925 by Bob Turnbull, Jack Harrow, Ben Baker and
company, though matched, remains unconquered.
Our weekend league opponents, Hull City, have a free week
ahead of their trip south. And tonight’s visitors, Sporting,
were again granted extra time by their domestic league to
prepare for this match, playing and beating Boavista 3-1
away on Friday evening.
Andre Carrillo and Carlos Mane hit two goals in three
minutes early in the second half and Joao Mario came off
the bench to add a third late on, that and the second goal
made by substitute Carrillo. Young Argentina left-back
Jonathan Silva headed the visitors an 87th-minute
consolation. The result lifted Sporting to fourth in the
Primeira Liga, eight points behind leaders Benfica.
Elsewhere tonight Schalke, travel to Maribor knowing that
anything less than victory will hand Sporting the second
Champions League knockout ticket from Group G, whatever
the result at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea, of course, are already guaranteed seeding in the
Round of 16 draw for the ninth time in the last 12
campaigns.
Of the other three English sides, Liverpool will now ply their
trade on Thursdays in the Europa League, Arsenal finished
as runners-up behind Dortmund, and Manchester City are in
Italy this evening for a showdown with Ashley Cole’s Roma.
In order to extend their Champions League campaign into
the New Year, City must win and hope that CSKA Moscow
do not, or secure a score draw and hope the Russians
lose. Should Pelligrini’s men lose, they are out of European
competition altogether. Roma qualify with a victory.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP G
Pld
W
D
L
F
A
Pts
1
Chelsea
5
3
2
0
14
2
11
2
Sporting Lisbon
5
2
1
2
11
9
7
3
Schalke
5
1
2
2
8
14
5
4
Maribor
5
0
3
2
4
12
3
Other Group G fixture
Tonight 7.45pm Maribor v Schalke
The draw for the round of 16 will be made on Monday 15
December at 11am UK time. The ties are played over four
midweeks in February and March, with group winners being
drawn away in the first leg. In this round Chelsea cannot be
drawn against teams from England or from our qualifying
group. From the quarter-finals onwards it becomes a free
draw.
WE HAVE HISTORY
Tonight is the first competitive meeting between Chelsea
and Sporting Lisbon at Stamford Bridge. Our only previous
competitive meeting with them was the second game of
Group G this season.
Jose Mourinho was facing his old club and skipper John
Terry became only the sixth English player to make 100
appearances in the Champions League after Paul Scholes,
Gary Neville, David Beckham and fellow Blues Ashley Cole
and Frank Lampard.
Having been pegged back by Schalke in the opening match
night the Londoners began purposefully and powerfully, and
might have opened the scoring in the early exchanges. Diego
Costa was sent clear but Rui Patricio, who excelled in
goal for the hosts, successfully shut him out.
Andre Schurrle also had chances to break the deadlock as
the Lions struggled against Chelsea’s energy and fluency.
With fewer than 10 minutes to go before half-time, Cesc
Fabregas directed a free-kick from the left to the far post
and Nemanja Matic , formerly of Sporting’s arch-rivals
Benfica, steered a looping header into the net.
Oscar was put in to possibly make it 2-0 but again
Patricio was equal to his effort. Nani, on loan to his old
club from Manchester United, was Sporting’s brightest
spark after the break, hitting the side-netting with one
strike.
The game opened up in the last 15 minutes, with Filipe Luis
and Mohamed Salah both having good opportunities and
Fredy Montero heading past the post.
The 1-0 win was a landmark one – no one had beaten
Sporting at the Jose Alvalade stadium in European
competition for 16 matches.
Chelsea’s biggest home win in the Champions
League
21/10/2014 Chelsea 6-0 Maribor Group stage
Sporting’s biggest away win in the Champions
League
02/10/07 Dynamo Kiev 1-2 Sporting group stage
TACTICAL BRIEF
Jose Mourinho will be delighted that his team did the
business with the 5-0 win at Schalke two weeks ago,
freeing up his selection options tonight. He will not want to
lose, nor does he need to win at all cost.
Nine players started the last three quick-fire Premier
League matches and two more began two of those. Petr
Cech may resume in goal should Thibaut Courtois be rested
ahead of Hull on Saturday; he played both matches against
Maribor.
Since Kurt Zouma has also performed well in two full
Champions League games, as well as the second half of the
Tottenham league game, the dynamic centre-back may
feature this evening, with left-back Filipe Luis , a sub at
Newcastle, another possibility.
The immensely influential centrist Nemanja Matic – who plied
his trade in Lisbon for a few years at Benfica – is
available again after his weekend suspension, while his
partner Cesc Fabregas could play as he is banned from
Saturday’s action.
Eighteen-year-old Ruben Loftus-Cheek (pictured below),
skipper of the 2013/14 FA Youth Cup-winners, is set to
make his first-team debut at some stage tonight.
Other attacking midfield options include another former
Eagles man, Ramires, on the bench at St James’ Park, and
Andre Schurrle.
Mourinho has reported Diego Costa will start. He was
suspended for last week’s 3-0 victory against Spurs. Fit-
again fellow striker Loic Remy will also be keen to add to
his three goals in all competitions.
Marco Silva knows a point is enough for his side but will he
trust his side to play for that result or go for the three
points?
His substitutions set up Sporting’s 3-1 win at Boavista but
the key one was forced on the coach when Nani pulled up
after half an hour and Andre Carrillo came on. The on-loan
Man United winger’s thigh injury prevents his participation
tonight.
He was their best player in our meeting in Lisbon back in
September and has played all five previous games in the
competition, top scoring with four goals and managing the
most on-target shots for the Portuguese.
Silva set his side up in a 4-4-2 formation against
Boavista’s 4-2-3-1, with target man Islam Slimani and
no.10 Fredy Montero his latest dual strikeforce, Nani and
Carlos Mane wide and William Carvalho and Adrien Silva in
central midfield. The highly-rated Carvalho plays a deeper
role with Silva freer to rove.
Carrillo’s opener was his first goal for two months, while
striker Mane’s was his second of the league season.
Slimani, who failed to have an impact against Boavista, has
managed six goals in eight Primeira Liga starts this season.
It is possible Sporting will revert to the 4-2-3-1 they
used during our 1-0 win at Estadio Jose Alvalade. The
Portuguese will be without suspended right-back Cedric, so
21-year-old Ricardo Esgaio may step in for his debut in
this competition.
CHELSEA IN NUMBERS
Tonight we complete our 12th successive Champions League
group stage. Only Real Madrid (18) and Arsenal (17) have a
better such run at this stage of the competition.
In all we have topped our group in 10 of our 13 Champions
League campaigns.
Nemanja Matic has made more tackles (33) than any other
player in the Champions League this season.
The last four penalties Petr Cech faced in the Champions
League (including shoot-outs) have not been scored (three
saved, one hit post).
The Blues have won our last seven games against
Portuguese clubs. In all we have won eight of 10 games with
one draw and one defeat.
Chelsea’s home record against Portuguese teams
2004/05 Porto
W 3-1
Champions League group stage
2006/07 Porto
W 2-1
Champions League round of 16 second leg (agg 3-2)
2009/10 Porto
W 1-0
Champions League group stage
2011/12 Benfica
W 2-1
Champions League quarter-final first leg (agg 3-1)
Chelsea’s last ten years in Europe
2004/05
Champions League – semi-final
2005/06
Champions League – round of 16
2006/07
Champions League – semi-final
2007/08
Champions League – runners-up
2008/09
Champions League – semi-final
2009/10
Champions League – round of 16
2010/11
Champions League – quarter-final
2011/12
Champions League – winners
2012/13
Europa League – winners, having transferred from the
Champions League group stage
2013/14
Champions League – semi-final
LAST SIX RESULTS
Champions League group G
Sep 17
Schalke (h)
D 1-1
Sep 30
Sporting Lisbon (a)
W 1-0
Oct 21
Maribor (h)
W 6-0
Nov 05
Maribor (a)
D 1-1
Nov 25
Schalke (a)
W 5-0
Champions League scorers (14)
Drogba 2 (1 pen), Hazard 2 (1 pen), Matic 2, Terry 2,
Fabregas 1, Ramires 1, Remy 1, Willian 1, own goals 2
Champions League assists (19)
Assists are judged not for the last touch but by the
subjective view of the club statistician for a crucial part
played in the goal.
Fabregas 7, Hazard 5, Terry 2, Ake 1, Drogba 1, Filipe Luis
1, Ivanovic 1, Willian 1
Champions League shots on target (42)
Hazard 11, Drogba 6, Diego Costa 5, Remy 3, Schurrle 3,
Terry 3, Matic 2, Oscar 2, Ramires 2, Fabregas 1,
Ivanovic 1, Salah 1, Willian 1, Zouma 1
Champions League games since
A home win: 0
A home draw: 1
A home defeat: 2
CHELSEA’S NEXT THREE GAMES
MILESTONES
If selected, Filipe Luis will make his 50th career
appearance in UEFA competitions.
SPORTING IN NUMBERS
Founded 1906
Major honours
18 Portuguese league titles, last in 2002
15 Portuguese Cups, last in 2008
7 Portuguese Super Cups, last in 2008
1 European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1964
Last season
Portuguese Liga - second
Portuguese Cup - fourth round
Portuguese League Cup - group stage
This is Sporting’s sixth Champions League group stage
campaign and the first since 2008/09 when they reached
the last 16 for the first time.
Sporting’s defeat to Chelsea on matchday 2 ended their
16-match unbeaten home run in Europe.
They lost on their last visit to England, to Man City in the
2011/12 Europa League round of 16 but still progressed to
the quarter-finals.
Sporting’s four previous away games against Premier League
opposition have resulted in three defeats and a draw.
In all Sporting have won nine of their 20 matches against
English sides, drawing three and losing eight.
They are unbeaten in six games in all competitions, winning
five, since their only league defeat to Vitoria Guimaraes on
1 November.
Last ten league seasons
2004/05 3rd
2005/06 2nd
2006/07 2nd
2007/08 2nd
2008/09 2nd
2009/10 4th
2010/11 3rd
2011/12 4th
2012/13 7th
2013/14 2nd
Sporting’s away games against English teams in
Europe
1963/64 Man Utd
L 1-4
Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final 2nd leg (agg 6-4)
1973/74 Sunderland
L 1-2
Cup Winners’ Cup second round 2nd leg (agg 3-2)
1981/82 Southampton
W 4-2
UEFA Cup second round second leg (agg 4-2)
2004/05 Newcastle
D 1-1
UEFA Cup group stage
2004/05 Middlesbrough
W 1-0
UEFA Cup fourth round second leg (agg 4-2)
2004/05 Newcastle
W L 0-1
UEFA Cup quarter-final second leg (agg 4-2)
2007/08 Man Utd
L 1-2
Champions League group stage
2007/08 Bolton
D 1-1
UEFA Cup fourth round second leg (agg 2-1)
2009/10 Everton
L 1-2
Europa League round of 32 second leg (4-2)
2011/12 Man City
L 2-3
Europa League fourth round first leg (3-3, won on away
goals)
Ten-year European record
2004/05
UEFA Cup runners-up
2005/06
UEFA Cup first round having transferred from the
Champions League third qualified round
2006/07
Champions League group stage
2007/08
UEFA Cup quarter-finals having transferred from the
Champions League group stage
2008/09
Champions League round 16
2009/10
Europa League round of 16 having transferred from the
Champions League play-offs
2010/11
Europa League round of 32
2011/12
Europa League semi-finals
2012/13
Europa League group stage
2013/14
Did not qualify
Champions League group G
Sep 17
Maribor (a)
D 1-1
Sep 30
Chelsea (h)
L 0-1
Oct 21
Schalke (a)
L 3-4
Nov 05
Schalke (h)
W 4-2
Nov 25
Maribor (h)
W 3-1
2014/15 Champions League scorers (11)
Nani 4, Adrien Silva 2 (1 pen), Slimani 2, Jefferson 1,
Mane 1, Sarr 1
Last six domestic results
Oct 26
Maritime (h)
W 4-2
Nov 01
Vitoria Guimarães (a)
L 0-3
Nov 09
Pacos de Ferreira (h)
D 1-1
Nov 21
Espinho (a) Cup
W 5-0
Nov 29
Vitoria Setubal (h)
W 3-0
Dec 05
Boavista (a)
W 3-1
Portuguese Liga top seven
Pld
GD
Pts
1
Benfica
12
21
31
2
Porto
12
22
28
3
Vitoria Guimaraes
12
13
27
4
Sporting Lisbon
12
13
23
5
Sporting Braga
12
13
22
6
Belenenses
12
1
21
7
Pacos de Ferreira
12
3
19
THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Referee Svein Oddvar Moen, his two assistant referees
and two additional assistant referees are all from Norway.
This is his fourth Chelsea game, the previous ones being
draws with Copenhagen and Genk in 2011 and last year’s
3-0 home win over Schalke.
OTHERWISE ENGAGED
Sporting’s right-back Cedric is suspended.
Champions League bookings list
Players receive a one-match suspension for collecting three
and five yellow cards
Chelsea (7): Filipe Luis 2, Fabregas 1, Hazard 1, Ivanovic
1, Terry 1, Willian 1
Sporting (11): Cedric 3, Mauricio 2, Joao Mario 2,
William Carvalho 2, Nani 1, Sarr 1

Jose Mourinho insists his
Chelsea side will not be mentally
affected by their defeat to
Newcastle on Saturday as they
prepare for Wednesday's
Champions League clash with
Sporting .
The Blues are already assured of top spot ahead of their
meeting with the Portuguese giants, but the former Real
Madrid boss hopes to maintain his side's unbeaten run in
Europe, having lost 2-1 in the Premier League at the weekend.
Mourinho revealed he will be handing a start to Diego Costa
despite lingering fitness concerns, a signal of his intent
ahead of Wednesday's game, but was keen to stress that his
side are not on the verge of a crisis after suffering their
first defeat of the campaign.
"From the mental point of view the defeat at Newcastle
doesn't have any effect on us. We are fine, we don't need a
reaction," the Portuguese coach told reporters.
"I repeat we couldn't be in a better situation. We have nothing
to change or be worried about.
"When you lose a game you want to win the next game.
Tomorrow is the next game and we want a good result."
Though Costa will start at Stamford Bridge, captain John
Terry, Eden Hazard and Willian will all sit out having been
given a rest following the defeat to Newcastle.
That means a number of youngsters may be given an
opportunity to impress, with Mourinho confirming 18-year-old
midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be handed his senior debut
at some stage on Wednesday.
And Mourinho admits that he is not scared of throwing his
academy players into big matches given their talent.
"Loftus-Cheek has been showing his quality and ambition every
time he has trained with the first-team.
"I am so happy to give the kids a chance. He is an English
player, 18, completely made in Chelsea. If he succeeds it's
good.
"At the moment the people in the academy are feeling like they
are working for something. Tomorrow is the academy's day."

Brendan Rodgers says Liverpool have “great confidence” that
they can beat Basel on Tuesday night and advance to the
Champions League knockout stages.
But Rodgers also stressed that his side should not rely on
inspirational captain Steven Gerrard and that the rest of the
team must also rise to the occasion.
The situation is reminiscent of the famous Anfield night of
2004 when, with Liverpool needing to beat Olympiacos by two
goals to progress, Gerrard scored with four minutes left to
seal their passage in dramatic fashion.
Rodgers said on Monday: “This is a competition which has a
great history here for Liverpool, and the Olympiacos game
was a part of that.
“But, in terms of Steven, we can't be just reliant solely on
him, this has to be about a team performance.
"We need other players to step up to the mark, to take on
responsibility and be a catalyst, and not place it on his
shoulders.
"It has never been about that for us. For us to get a result
tomorrow night we need for the team to be performing well.
"It is an opportunity for the players to write themselves into
folklore by winning the game and ensuring they get into the
next round, because that is the objective."
It would be a blow to Liverpool if their first Champions
League campaign for five years came to an abrupt halt at the
group stage but Rodgers says there is no nervousness in the
camp.
"We are only focusing on the positive result,” he said. “We
see it as an opportunity rather than a threat to anything we
are doing this season.
"It is a game in which we just want to stay focused on what
we have to do.
"The importance of the game is there: to get through and
qualify. In my time here we have had games that were deemed
as must-win games and, more times than not, we have won
them.
"We arrive into tomorrow night with great confidence that we
can get the job done.”
A draw would see Basel advance while Liverpool would go out
but Rodgers stressed that his side will not be overly gung-
ho.
"We don't need to win the game in the first minute, that is
the key for us," he said.
"European football is technical and tactical. We just need to
win the game and we have 90 minutes-plus to do that.
"We have to retain our patience and play a good technical
game and we have to be concentrated and focused. If we do
that, I believe we will have a great chance, aligned with the
supporters and the passion they have.
"We need that patience in the game. They (Basel) don't need
to win the game, they can sit back, so we need to be able to
move the ball side to side with freedom and if we get
patience from the team and the supporters that should help
us to go and get the result we want.
"It is a cup competition and if we get through we can put it
to bed for a few months, and hopefully it will give us that
confidence in our league form.
"It will be a great night and it is up to us to get the job
done."

E ft start or warm bench as usual

Chelsea prepared for Wednesday’s final Champions League
group game against Sporting Lisbon without John Terry,
Willian and Eden Hazard, but with José Mourinho expected
to offer the teenage midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek his
first taste of senior competitive football.
The England Under-19 international, consistently excellent
for Chelsea’s youth teams since joining the club at under-
eight level, trained with the senior squad at Cobham on
Tuesday morning alongside fellow youngsters Nathan Aké and
the third-choice goalkeeper in European competition,
Mitchell Beeney.
Mourinho said it was important for the club to develop
young talent. “Every manager in the world wants to bring
young people up,” he said.
“Go to other clubs and you see it’s not easy to bring kids
through from youth competitions to the top level.
“If you don’t bring kids through the academy then the best
thing is to close the academy. It’s better to close the
door and use the money to buy the players.
“The relation between first team and the academy is
changing. The first time Ruben trained with me is 18 months
ago. The last two to three weeks he is training every day.
Tomorrow is Ruben’s day, but it’s also academy day.”
Loftus-Cheek, a highly rated midfielder who had featured
for the senior side in two friendlies on their post-season
tour of the United States in May 2013, was a regular in
the club’s under-21s last term and captained the team to
their FA Youth Cup success.
“I’ve been at the club since I was eight so to be involved
and training with the first team means a lot to me,” he
said.
Neither Dominic Solanke – who made his debut in this
competition against Maribor earlier in the section – nor
Lewis Baker was involved as Mourinho oversaw training. Of
the regular senior squad, Terry, Willian and Hazard all sat
out the session with the manager expected to rest them for
the fixture given his team have already won Group G.
Cesc Fàbregas, who is suspended for Saturday’s visit of
Hull City in the Premier League having picked up a fifth
booking of term in the weekend loss at Newcastle, was
present with André Schürrle, Filipe Luís, Ramires and Petr
Cech also expected to play.