Chelsea vs West Bromwich Albion
Date: 12/02/18
K/O: 20:00 pm
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Chelsea host West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge on Monday evening, with Alan Pardew’s side rock bottom of the Premier League table whilst Antonio Conte’s men have not won in all competitions since the end of January.
Last time out Chelsea were humbled by a 4-1 defeat away to Watford, this week, despite their form, they should be able to overcome any competition that West Brom are able to offer.
It is clear that all is not well for Chelsea manager Antonio Conte at the moment, and with the stories in the papers from players who are apparently unhappy with his training regime, this game holds the potential to pile pressure onto Conte.
West Brom are currently five points adrift at the bottom and it could be even more come the end of this game. However it does look like eventually Alan Pardew’s side will start to gain points – especially when they play against some of the lower teams, who will give them more chances.
What do the manager’s say?
Antonio Conte: “The confidence is not high…Against Bournemouth, we created chances to score and I think we weren’t so clinical and we paid for it as we conceded three goals from three shots. Against Watford, was different. Our performance was negative from the start. We didn’t create chances to score and then conceded three times in eight minutes”
Conte on his future at the club: “My commitment is totally for this club. A lot of times, I don’t agree with this, but the manager’s position depends on the results.”
Alan Pardew: “It puts pressure on them and we are obviously under pressure because we are bottom of the league.
Embed from Getty Images“I think you are going to see a lot of fight on the pitch in terms of two teams desperate to get points and desperate to turn a little bit of a corner for Chelsea and us.
“We want to get a result which might give us the boost we need.
“Looking at their previous results it does suggest we might have more chance than we normally would but we will have to see.”
Team News:
First-choice trio – Jonny Evans, Kieran Gibbs and Grzegorz Krychowiak – have all been passed fit to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Jay Rodriguez is available despite being charged by the Football Association following his clash with Gaetan Bong.
Tiemoue Bakayoko is unavailable for this game as he carries out his one-game suspension following his red card at Watford.
Striker Olivier Giroud is likely to make his first start following his late move from arsenal, and Alonso is also set to return following is recovery from illness. However center-back Andreas Christensen is a doubt due to a hamstring injury and forward Alvaro Morata (back) remains sidelined.
Prediction: Chelsea 3 West Brom 1
My prediction is for the home team to take all 3 points. I don’t think this will be an easy game, and I do expect both teams to score, but Chelsea have quality and the home advantage.
Written by Will Chattell.
