Date: Saturday 3rd
April 2021
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Kick-off: 12:30 BST
Back from a busy international
week for us and it’s an early kick-off at home to West Brom.
Chelsea have won 10 and drawn four of their last 14, leaving them fourth
in the table, 2 points clear of West Ham, going into today’s game. Our last
game before the internationals was a win in the FA Cup against Sheffield United,
although our last league game, was a laboured 0-0 against Leeds.
For West Brom, who are
currently 19th in the table, it was a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace
last time out. The Baggies have taken 4 points from their last 4 games but have
only had three wins in the Premier League this season.
Chelsea have not conceded in any of
their past seven games in all competitions, but West Brom haven’t exactly
shipped goals either, in fact, they haven’t conceded more than
one in a league match since the start of February, so anyone thinking we’ll have
an easy ride today might want to reset their expectations.
It took a very
late equaliser from Tammy Abraham to get a point against West Brom in the
reverse fixture. Complacency,
disinterest and the sort of first-half defending that saw Marcos Alonso take a thoroughly
deserved break from the first XI, left us 3-0 down in that game by half-time,
so we know they’ve got it in them to take advantage if we don’t show up.
MANAGER’S VIEWS
Going
into today’s game, Thomas Tuchel, says “It can be enjoyable to take a break,
to breath and relax and refocus. At the same time, it’s strange. The players
come back from different time zones – Giroud and Zouma had a game with five
hours time difference and they take three, four flights to arrive back. This is
clearly not the best preparation to arrive for a game at 12.30pm. It’s a time
that I am still adapting too. We don’t break our heads too much about it, it’s
clear when you join a club like Chelsea we have to adapt.”
West Brom manager, Sam
Allardyce, meanwhile says “He (Tuchel) has done the right thing. Start with
clean sheets and then you build from there. He’s done that absolutely
magnificently. That’s not to say that
Chelsea are not very entertaining, because the quality of the players they’ve
got at the other end, they are, and obviously I’m very jealous about that. But our players have equalled and matched
teams like Manchester United here, Liverpool away and Manchester City, so we’ve
got to go and do the same to Chelsea, and that is play a very good tactical
game on nullifying their strengths. But
there’s one thing that’s going to be very difficult for us and that’s break
down that very good defensive unit he’s got. It has been a very good start for
him.
When you’re in our
position and they’re in their position, you know before you go into the game
that your possession stats are going to be lower than Chelsea’s. It’s making
out the players to be most effective in those possessions. I think normally
it’s us playing counter-attacking football, playing quick, sharp, forward
passes to maybe exploit the spaces Chelsea will leave. If we spend too much
time slowing it down, passing sideways and backwards, they will come and do a
high press and take the ball off us.”
SQUAD NEWS
For Chelsea, Thiago Silva should finally be ready for a return but N’Golo
Kante will miss out after picking up a hamstring injury on international duty.
For West Brom,
Conor
Gallagher is ineligible to play, whilst Hal Robson-Kanu will be in the squad
despite being sent home from international duty for breaching Covid protocols.
TEAMS
CHELSEA (Possible
line-up): Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva,
Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Chilwell; Pulisic; Werner; Mount
WEST BROM (Possible line-up): Johnstone; Furlong,
O’Shea, Bartley, Townsend; Phillips, Livermore, Yokuslu, Maitland-Niles,
Pereira; Diagne
LAST SEASON
N/A
CURRENT FORM (PL)
CHELSEA: WDDWWD
WEST BROM: DDWLDL
OTHER STUFF
- Chelsea are
unbeaten in the last seven Premier League meetings.
- Chelsea had to come
from 0-3 down to get a 3-3 draw in the reverse fixture.
- West Brom have gone
15 away league games against Chelsea without a win.
- Chelsea are
unbeaten in 14 competitive matches.
- Chelsea have won 11
successive Premier League home games against sides in the relegation zone.
- West Brom’s only
win in 11 league games was at home to Brighton in February.
- West Brom have lost
four of their past five away games.
- West Brom’s
second-half tallies of nine goals scored and 30 conceded are the worst in the
Premier League this season.
- West Brom have kept
three clean sheets in their past five league games.
PREDICTION
BBC Sport: Chelsea 2-0 West Brom
Sky Sports: Chelsea 2-0 West Brom
Sportsmole: Chelsea 2-0 West Brom
