Match Preview: West Brom vs. Chelsea

On Saturday, Chelsea take on a visibly stonger West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns in a game that is a must-win for the Blues after 2 successive draws saw them slip to 3rd place in the Premier League table.

West Brom have been the surprise package of the Premier League this season. Their incredible start to the season sees the Baggies reach 5th position in the Premier League table after 11 games. There has been plenty of talk of West Brom maybe claiming a Europa League spot next season, talk that Baggies manager Steve Clarke has been quick to rightly dismiss. No one knows if the Baggies will be playing in the Europa League next season. What we do know is that the team have been performing well so far this season so they won’t be pushovers. This particular fixture last season was a turning point for Chelsea: Andre Villas-Boas was sacked as Chelsea manager after the match.

Both teams are in decent form despite Chelsea’s recent slump. The Blues are yet to lose a match away from home this season, thier sole loss in the League coming at home to Manchester United. However, West Brom have been impressive at home this season, having collected 15 points at home so far this season. Something’s got to give.

John Terry and Frank Lampard will both be unavailable for selection, but Ashley Cole has been training and could be back in the first XI for the match.

Key stat :-

1) Chelsea haven’t kept a clean-sheet in their last 6 matches in all competitions.

Predicted XI: Cech; Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Cahill, Cole; Ramires, Mikel; Mata, Hazard, Moses; Torres.

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