Chelsea is the defending Premier League champions and they are one of the favorites this season at the bookmaker. The early part of the season could be tough for Chelsea though as goalkeeper Petr Cech is out with a calf injury. Chelsea will still be favored at the Internet bookmaker for their season opener against West Bromwich Albion but the number could be a little lower with Cech out of the lineup.
Cech tore the calf muscle in his right leg on Tuesday and he will miss at least a month. He is likely to miss the match against West Bromwich Albion on August 14th and he could miss the road game at Wigan the following week. Chelsea will be favored at the Internet bookmaker in those two games but without Cech they are vulnerable. Cech had a similar injury last season and missed about a month.
The injury to Cech will also cause him to miss the Community Shield game against Manchester United at Wembley on August 8. He will also miss friendlies against Ajax and Hamburg. Chelsea really does not have anyone of note to replace Cech in goal. They will either goal with Hilario or Ross Turnbull while Cech is out.
Chelsea has some issues that could cause them some trouble early in the Premier League season. They will miss Cech for at least a month and they probably will be without midfielder Deco who they are probably going to release. Deco’s son David Luiz is seriously ill and Deco wants to return to Brazil. Chelsea is also dealing with the situation regarding Didier Drogba who is exploring his options. His agent Thierno Seydi is said to have had talks with Manchester City. Chelsea has said that Drogba is not for sale though which should mean he stays with Chelsea this season.
Chelsea is still the overall favorite to win the Premier League title this season, but just barely. They are listed with odds of 8-5 while Manchester United is 2-1. The team that is getting the most action though is Manchester City whose odds have dropped to 5-1. Those odds are even lower than Arsenal who is 6-1 and Liverpool who is 14-1. None of the other teams in the league are given any chance to win the title this season.