None of these lads have started the season as they’d have liked. Chelsea may be fifth in the Premier League table, but they’re out of the League Cup, the fanbase aren’t yet all in on formation-fluid Xabi Alonso, and as Andrew Beasley recently reported …

… their expected-points performance has actually been worse than 16th-placed Manchester United, who are themselves in all manner of bother right now. It’s fair to say that both Alonso and Michael Carrick could do with a win this lunchtime, albeit those hopes are laced with varying degrees of desperation: a defeat would certainly turn up the heat on Alonso, but it might prove one misstep too many for Carrick, whose coat hangs heavy on the shoogliest of pegs. But then we thought that after the Bournemouth debacle last Sunday, and here we all remain. So nobody knows anything for sure … but be certain that the noises-off will get louder, far louder, for someone, somewhere, after the result of this game is in. A draw probably won’t help anyone very much either. Kick-off is at 12.30pm GMT. It’s on!