Chelsea v Huddersfield Town
Date: 09/05/2018
K/O: 19:45pm
Venue: Stamford Bridge
TV: Sky Sports Main Event
Referee: Lee Mason
As Premier League teams around the country make up for any missed fixtures this midweek, Chelsea welcome Huddersfield Town to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening. Both teams have a lot to play for, so this match is sure to be a tense and fascinating one.
Chelsea will be looking for a fourth consecutive Premier League win on their 500th home match in the competition. Achieving this would bring them level on points with Liverpool going into the final day, as well as potentially above a teetering Spurs, depending on how Newcastle get on at Wembley that same evening.
The visitors on the other hand, know that they could be the final team to escape the jaws of relegation this season, as it looks like Southampton’s loss to Swansea on Tuesday has almost guaranteed safety for the Saints, barring some goal fests on the final day. Huddersfield need to take just one point from the Bridge to keep themselves in the Premier League, which would be a monumental achievement for David Wagner and his team. Doing so would also almost certainly end Swansea’s seven-year spell in the top division.
Team News
Being an important midweek match, both managers will probably have squad rotation in their plans, but expect a strong starting XI from both sides.
Chelsea should see a return from Alvaro Morata after a slight injury, meaning Chelsea should have their full complement.
The return of Tom Ince will be a welcome sight for the Huddersfield fans, while Chris Löwe, Terence Kongolo and Danny Williams are all doubts for the Terriers.
Predicted Starting XI’s
Chelsea: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Christensen, Zappacosta, Kante, Fabregas, Alonso, Pedro, Hazard, Morata
Huddersfield: Lössl, Kongolo, Schindler, Joergensen, Malone, Mooy, Hogg, Hadergjonaj, Ince, Pritchard, Depoitré
Prediction: Chelsea 2 Huddersfield 0
I believe that Huddersfield have the spirit to potentially cause an upset, but it seems likely that they will have to wait until the final day to secure safety.
Written by Harry Mahon.
