West Bromwich Albion face the daunting task of playing host to Premier League big-spenders Chelsea this evening.
Both clubs will approach this game with different emotions. Chelsea will be delighted at the opportunity to regain momentum following the loss to Liverpool. West Brom, however, will not be too enthused that after their miserable start, they are tasked with opposition amongst the strongest in the division. It could all go from bad to worse, though a win here would give them a major boost. For Chelsea, defeat is unthinkable.
Chelsea Looking to Get Back on Track After Disappointment of Last Weekend
Miserable Start for West Brom
West Brom have had an undesired start to their Premier League campaign. Since gaining promotion last season, Slaven Bilic’s side have only managed to beat League Two side Harrogate Town competitively in their four games this season-to-date. Granted, they have been handed a tough period of games to kickstart the season.
Albion got the season underway with a 3-0 loss at home to Leicester City, they were able to forget about that game, beating Harrogate Town 3-0 in the Carabao Cup second round. However, it was not to get any better than that. After a bright start at Goodison Park last week, West Brom were eventually pegged back by a ruthless Everton side and lost the game 5-2 in the end. Kieran Gibbs had been sent off moments before half-time and they were not helped by manager Slaven Bilic getting himself into trouble at the break, suffering the same fate as Gibbs.
West Brom had the chance to put all of that right in their Carabao Cup clash with Brentford in midweek. Admittedly, Albion put out a different team and were held to a 2-2 draw by the Championship side, losing on penalties.
Chelsea in Rude Health With Options Upfront
Chelsea are bringing the likes of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner to town, so Bilic’s team cannot afford to slip-up at the back, as they will be punished.
The Blues started the season just how they imagined, with a 3-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. Last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Liverpool will have been of particular disappointment, especially as it was all to play for until Andreas Christensen got himself sent off, and all hope of beating the champions fell apart. Kepa Arrizabalaga, once again, didn’t have his day in the sun either.
Sadio Mane‘s brace did not live long in the memory though, as Chelsea thrashed Barnsley 6-0 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. New signing Kai Havertz picked up a dream hat-trick, sending out alarm bells to anyone that questioned his ability, just two games into his Chelsea career.
Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud, who are both yet to start in the Premier League for Chelsea this season, were both on the scoresheet v Barnsley, highlighting just how many options the Blues have available to them.
Recent Meetings
Chelsea haven’t lost in their last six meetings with West Bromwich Albion, winning five of those games.
The last meeting between the two sides took place in February 2018, a 3-0 win for Chelsea. Whilst goalscorer Eden Hazard and Victor Moses are no longer with the club, there is an argument that the current side is far more fruitful upfront, or at least has the potential to be. Chelsea’s last visit to the Hawthorns weren’t so bad either, a 4-0 win.
West Brom haven’t scored a single goal in the last four meetings. The last time they scored v Chelsea was in January 2016, with the last time they won being May 2015.
Too Soon for Mendy
Conor Gallagher is ineligible to face his parent club, so cannot feature for West Brom. Kieran Gibbs is suspended after the red card last week. Former Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic, 36, has been building up his fitness, but whether he will able to feature is not entirely known.
Thiago Silva could make his Premier League debut after featuring v Barnsley in midweek. Ben Chilwell is being approached with caution, as Frank Lampard said his injury was a “challenging one.”
Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech remain absentees for Chelsea. Lampard hopes they will be back in contention over the next week or two.
The game will come too soon for new signing Edouard Mendy, so Lampard will have to decide between Kepa Arrizabalaga or Willy Caballero.
Chelsea Will Have Too Much for West Brom
West Brom will show glimpses of competitiveness, but Chelsea will just have far too much for them this evening. A comfortable win for the Blues.
Prediction: West Bromwich Albion 1-3 Chelsea
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
