Can Chelsea "Cross It"?

Our game of the week seeks to answer this intriguing question: "Can Chelsea cross it? ", can they stay above the waters of mediocrity? This is the most fitting challenge for Chelsea FC to give us an answer.  They travel to the North East of England to face the formidable Newcastle United.

Few people would disagree that Newcastle United has been the darling of the premier league this season. And I don't mean that they are sexy or charming, but they are the best example of the beauty of the English Premier League (EPL) - the reason why we are so attached.

Today they face the Prima Donnas of the league and this meeting couln't come at a worse time for the "Blues". The fact that they have to leave the comfort of London to travel to Sports Direct Arena in Newcastle will not make it any less untimely.

Chelsea is coming off poor performances in the Champions League and the English League Cup and has only managed to win twice in the last five premier league games.  This poor run of form included 5-3 loss to Arsenal and 2-1 loss to Liverpool, who incidentally undone them 2-0 in the league cup quarterfinals this week.  

Manager Andre Villas Boas is increasingly under pressure to put together some good results.  This may be his ultimate test as his job has come under public scrutiny.  Villas Bollas, the Portuguese international was the youngest premier league manager when he joined Chelsea at age 33.


Today's game of the week is expected to be a tight affair with both teams being cautious.  The weather conditions (6 degrees Celsius, partly cloudy) look good by English standards and the anticipation has reached fever pitch.  Didier Drogba should get the start over Fernando Torres after his failure to launch in midweek.

Our prediction for today's game of the week is a draw (1-1).
Other games on today are (All times GMT):

• Aston Villa v Man Utd17:30
• Blackburn v Swansea15:00
• Man City v Norwich15:00
• QPR v West Brom15:00
• Tottenham v Bolton15:00
• Wigan v Arsenal15:00

For a list of the full schedule you can check out BBC Sports
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