Six out for Rovers

Posted Sunday, March 21, 2010 by PA

Manager Sam Allardyce has a number of injury problems to cope with ahead of Blackburn's game against Chelsea.

Goalkeeper Paul Robinson (calf), captain Ryan Nelsen (knee), Gael Givet (groin), Lars Jacobsen (hernia) and Vince Grella (calf) are all missing while loan striker Franco di Santo cannot play against his parent club.

Jason Brown will fill in for Robinson, with Mark Bunn being recalled from Sheffield United as cover.

Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce has warned his players to expect Chelsea to react like a wounded animal after their Champions League mauling by Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan side.

Allardyce said Chelsea had received a "massive kick up the backside" from Inter but is hoping their players will suffer from fatigue.

He said: "I'm not sure it's a good time to play them but the only thing we do know is that they are going to tire later on in the game.

"They put a huge amount of effort in against Inter Milan so there will be some physical and mental fatigue, so we have to make sure we are in there with a shout for the last quarter of the game.

"Chelsea have had a massive kick up the backside and didn't expect to lose that game and get knocked out of the Champions League, and they are now a wounded animal that you have got to protect against."

Allardyce has taken some tips from Mourinho's book of tactics by studying the success of Inter Milan - and Wigan earlier in the season - to pinpoint weaknesses in Carlo Ancelotti's side.

"I learn an awful lot from every game, I usually used to manage to set out a team tactically against Chelsea that could get a result and we have had a look at some of the stuff that Inter did," said Allardyce.

"We've also looked at what Wigan did when they beat them, as they are a team very similar to ourselves.

"If you watch Inter Milan's work-rate and the tactics that they put together it shows why they nullified Chelsea so much.

"Whether you can keep that up for 90 minutes is another thing but we'll have a go.

"We have to be right tactically and we need 11 lads prepared to roll their sleeves up and work harder and run longer than they have done all season."

Chelsea have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the game.

Goalkeeper Petr Cech trained on Friday but remains a doubt and he will undergo a late fitness test on his calf injury. Hilario is also a doubt with a groin strain.

Michael Essien (knee), Ashley Cole (ankle) and Jose Bosingwa (knee) are all sidelined.

Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti has told his squad to focus on becoming only the seventh club in the history of the English game to achieve the league and FA Cup double.

The Italian has handed the new challenge to his players in the wake of their disappointing Champions League exit to Inter.

"It's to put a new motivation in all the club," said Ancelotti. "To shift the objectives because we were focused on the Champions League and now we've changed our aim.

"I think to think you can do a double is a good motivation for everyone at this club. If we want to do this, we have 11 games.

"It was my idea. It's a new motivation for me, also. I needed this because I was disappointed by what happened on Tuesday."

The Champions League defeat was hard to take for Ancelotti and his players, especially as it came against Chelsea's former boss Jose Mourinho.

But Ancelotti insists there has been no knee-jerk reaction to the failure and maintains that he has not spoken about his plans for a revamp of the squad with owner Roman Abramovich.

He also knows that Chelsea cannot afford any more slip-ups during the title run-in - starting with victory at Blackburn.

"We didn't speak about the future of this club or these players," said the Italian. "We all have to do our best in the last 11 games.

"I spoke to my players and to my assistants and stressed we have to do this.

"I think Chelsea have not been in this position in recent seasons. They've been behind in the last four years - they were not at the top of the list and, when you're behind, you can't afford to drop points, so you have more pressure.

"We have pressure now because the three teams - Arsenal, (Manchester) United and us - are very close and you cannot make a mistake.

"But, in the last four years in the Premier League, Chelsea have never been in this position. They were always behind. So I think it's a good thing."