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The opening gameweek of the 2014-15 Barclay's Premier League season sees Chelsea travel to newly-promoted Burnley FC to kick off what promises to be an interesting season for both sides.

Fresh off their 2nd place finish in the Championship last term, the Clarets will be aiming for survival in this tough and unforgiving League, while Chelsea will have no easier a task in their own objective of winning the thing, a goal whose accomplishment manager José Mourinho knows all too well his very job may depend on.





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The last and only recent set of League matches between the two sides in Burnley's brief stint in the Premier League in the 2009-10 season both resulted in victories for eventual Champions and Double-winners Chelsea, the first a 3-0 thumping at Stamford Bridge via a trio of goals from Ashley Cole, Michael Ballack and Nicolas Anelka within 5 match minutes of each other, the second at Turf Moor being a slightly more competitive affair decided late in Chelsea's favour courtesy of an 82nd minute winner from Blues captain John Terry.










As mentioned, the most recent corresponding match between the two sides in January 2010 ended a 2-1 victory for the visitors. Nicolas Anelka's goal off a brilliantly-orchestrated Chelsea counterattack put the Blues ahead on 27 minutes, but the home side crawled their way back into it when a superb goal from Steven Fletcher in the 50th minute drew the hosts level. The match may well have been heading towards a stalemate, but controversy-embattled captain John Terry got his head on the end of a Frank Lampard corner in the 82nd minute to steal all 3 points for the title-chasing Blues.









José Mourinho, speaking after his side 3-0 thumping at the hands of Werder Bremen in the sides' preseason friendly on August the 3rd, said he is concerned about and unsure whether some of his key players will be match-fit and available for selection by this match in 2 weeks, telling Chelsea TV:

"Eden trained two days, Didier trained three days. They need these matches to look for their form."

"It worries me because the boys (returning late from the World Cup) that start tomorrow don't have time to get ready for the start of Premier League."

Brazilian trio Oscar, Willian and Ramires, of course, all reached the semifinal of this summer's World Cup, while André Schurrle played in, and won, the Final - achievements which will have been great for their gaining even more big-game experience, but which undoubtedly have put the Blues in a bit of a quandary ahead of the start of the league campaign.








The availability of those 4 aside, however, all Chelsea players have thus far remained free of injury this preseason, unquestionably much to the club's elation, but official injury news for this match will be posted as it draws closer.
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2 weeks today until the season kicks off, so...here it is

PL is finally coming back
No more poverty World Cup
No more rubbish transfer season
Game starts at 5am Aussie time

fatman123 wrote:No more rubbish transfer season

Actually I think you'll find the transfer season stretches nearly 2 weeks into the Premier League one

It's our season lads

Mourinho always wins in the second season

I don't think we'll see the Brazilian and German boys.


Will be more than enough to win. Let's get this season off on the right track

Shed wrote:

fatman123 wrote:No more rubbish transfer season

Actually I think you'll find the transfer season stretches nearly 2 weeks into the Premier League one

I know, but now goal.com can stop writing stupid stories about what their 'unnamed source' has secretly told them and write rubbish match reviews too

Kick wrote:It's our season lads

Mourinho always wins in the second season

I don't think we'll see the Brazilian and German boys.

Courtois/Cech
Azpilicueta Cahill Terry Luis
Mikel/MVG Matic
Salah Fabregas Hazard
Costa

Will be more than enough to win. Let's get this season off on the right track

I'd expect that XI with cech and mikel

Cech/Courtois could go either way tbh.

Mikel is more likely than MVG but I would not be surprised at either.

Won't be an easy one at all, this. The absolute worst time to play the newly-promoted sides is at the beginning of the season (anybody remember Cardiff 3-2 City?), and we've got two of them in the first 2 matches. In this first game back for them, you can be sure they'll be well up for it.


Hopefully we'll have fully shaken off the 'shite against any side not in the Top 6' curse from last season.

Cesc got this, relax.

Shed wrote:Won't be an easy one at all, this. The absolute worst time to play the newly-promoted sides is at the beginning of the season (anybody remember Cardiff 3-2 City?), and we've got two of them in the first 2 matches. In this first game back for them, you can be sure they'll be well up for it.


Hopefully we'll have fully shaken off the 'shite against any side not in the Top 6' curse from last season.

This is why I expect cech and mikel to start, it's really important to win these games and we know Burnley will be doing their best impression of a Tony Pulis Stoke side

And, if you lot weren't aware, their manager is the 'Ginger Mourinho'...

Shed wrote:And, if you lot weren't aware, their manager is the 'Ginger Mourinho'...

I thought AVB managed Zenit

I thought Moyes got sacked

Maybe - but he and his glorious tenure still live on in our hearts 

The Chosen one

#gonebutneverforgotten

Sir Davy Moyles, we still miss you

If only united listened to SAF and backed the manager

"It will take a bit of time to get going but we have great staff here, a great team and hopefully I’ll be fit by the time the season starts."

— Schürrle on his fitness, via the Daily Mail
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Btw, how tf did this thing get 260 views already??
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There were some entire match threads last season that didn't have that many days after the game was played and all discussion was long since over

I think I know

Cause you've been clicking on it throughout the day to admire its brilliance over and over?

More like you have