Strong Chelsea team should see off Bolton

Chelsea has named a strong line-up for tonight's League Cup game with Bolton; and unusually named in well in advance. It's almost as if Carlo Ancelotti has decided that Bolton will field a weakened side and that Chelsea will get the job done regardless of the exact nature of the opposition. It is a strong Chelsea side and a midfield of Ballack, Deco, Malouda and Joe Cole will expect to dominate possession and generate chances.

Chelsea team: Hilario, Belletti, Ivanovic, Alex, Ferreira, Ballack, Deco, Malouda, J Cole, Sturridge, Kalou.
Subs: Turnbull, Bruma, Matic, Essien, Lampard, Borini, Drogba.

With Joe Cole looking to impress ahead of the World Cup I would expect him to have a decisive say in the game, and a couple of goals would do his Chelsea chances no harm either. Perhaps this is also the chance that Dan Sturridge needs to open his goalscoring account for the club; three substitute appearances in games where Chelsea has coasted to victory (3-1 at Sunderland, 4-0 against Atletico and 5-0 against Blackburn) may not have had the required edge. Tonight he gets a shot from the start with a good midfield to generate chances.

Bolton is always a tough team to beat, but away from home against a strong looking Chelsea side there may be a few players who decide to save their energy for the weekend. The team announced is reasonably strong but Al Habsi in goal may still have a busy evening.

Tips:
15/8 Joe Cole goal (anytime)
11/10 Dan Sturridge goal (anytime)
11/8 3 Star Pensioners - Chelsea To Score 3 Or More (Match Special)
4/5 Trotters Can't Reply - Chelsea To Win To Nil (Match special)

(All odds courtesy of Bet365, which is offering £200 in free bets to new accounts opened today.)