Chelsea travel to West Brom this Tuesday evening for a game which very few believe will end up in victory for the home side. However, the Baggies will be looking to bag Pepe Mel’s first victory since he took over from Steve Clarke at The Hawthorns to start dragging themselves out the relegation zone. Venue: The Hawthorns Date: Tuesday, 11 February Kick-off: 20:00 GMT Chelsea will be looking to build on the fine form which has seen them progress through 2014 unbeaten and conceding just 1 goal. A valiant victory at the Etihad and masterclass from Eden Hazard at home to Newcastle has ensured a perfect start to February. West Brom, now managed by Pepe Mel, are yet to register a win under the Spaniard, and suffered a 3-1 defeat away to Crystal Palace on Saturday. Jose Mourinho’s ‘little horse’ now sit nicely at the top of the Premier League, thanks to Eden Hazard and a bit of help elsewhere on Saturday. On the other end of the spectrum, West Brom have now slipped into the bottom three following a run of bad form that has seen them pick up just 2 points from the last 15 available. Chelsea’s recent surge of fine form has with it, seen the return of Matic to Stamford Bridge, which is no coincidence. The Serbian allows other midfielders, whether it be Lampard, Ramires or Luiz, to get forward while he protects and sweeps up. He provides the spark to many of our counter attacks as he immediately looks to turn defense into attack. He also has a ferocious shot himself, as we saw against Manchester City where he was unlucky not to score from range. He’s worked brilliantly with David Luiz in midfield, who slotted back into his more familiar role of centre-half in the win against the Magpies, where he occasionally looked vulnerable but got the job done in the absence of John Terry. Chelsea could also be boosted by the return of one Fernando Torres, who returned to training late last week after injury. He is likely to start from the bench, with the Spaniard not being fully match-fit, and Samuel Eto’o linking up with Eden Hazard so well on Saturday. Table Toppers Mourinho’s Chelsea team of old were often described as a ‘machine’ as they powered through the season picking up wins with ease. Could we be seeing the return of this well oiled machine as the Blues look to stay at the top of the table? The two ‘big horses’ of the title race both play on Wednesday, with Arsenal facing a potentially tricky tie against Juan Mata’s new team at the Emirates, while Manchester City host Sunderland, who you’d expect them to beat. Both teams will be looking to recover from Saturday’s disappointments, but Mourinho’s men could potentially be four points clear by the time they kick off. The reverse fixture between these two teams earlier in the season ended in controversial circumstances as Ramires went down cheaply under the challenge of Steven Reid and earned the Blues a penalty in the last gasp of the game, which Eden Hazard converted and earned us a scrappy 2-2 draw. The result also kept Mourinho’s unbeaten home Premier League record in-tact, which of course still stands today. To the line-ups, and we could be seeing a full debut for Mohamed Salah, who would have had a debut to remember from the bench on Saturday but for Tim Krul. Jose may look to rest one or more of his trio of Oscar, Hazard and Willian which could see the Egyptian start. Chelsea may well be boosted by the return of John Terry, however the severity of his injury is yet unclear. Ramires was rested for the win against Newcastle so will be in the squad for Tuesday, but it will be a big ask for the Brazilian to force his way back into this side from the start this week. Former blue Nicolas Anelka has been absent through injury recently but could be fit to face his former club. West Brom vs Chelsea: Predicted Lines-ups: Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Matic, Luiz, Salah, Oscar, Hazard, Eto’o West Brom: Foster, Jones, McAuely, Dawson, Ridgewell, Yacob, Mulumbu, Gera, Brunt, Morrison, Anichebe
Posted on: Tue, 11 Feb 2014 14:39:33 +0000
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