England - Premier League
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Played
August 20, 2011 5:30 PM BST
Stamford Bridge — London
Referee:‬ L. Mason‎
Attendance:‬ 41091‎
 

Premier League preview: Chelsea - West Brom

Both teams look to register first win of the season as Roy Hodgson's side seek to avenge last year's 6-0 capitulation which saw them register their biggest defeat of the season

By Josh Clarke

More On :  Chelsea FC, West Bromwich Albion, Chelsea FC vs West Bromwich Albion

PROBABLE LINEUPS
CHELSEA

Hilario
Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, Cole
Ramires, Mikel, Lampard
Anelka, Torres, Malouda
WEST BROM
 
Foster
Reid, Tamas, Olsson, Shorey
Morrison, Mulumbu, Scharner, Brunt
Tchoyi
Long

Hilario is set to start in goal for Chelsea after Petr Cech was ruled out for up to four weeks with a knee injury. Meanwhile, new boy Romelu Lukaku could be set to feature on the bench, but otherwise Andre Villas-Boas is likely to field a more or less identical squad to the one who recorded a stalemate with Stoke.

With David Luiz still sidelined and Daniel Sturridge serving the rest of his suspension, the only change looks likely to be Nicolas Anelka being drafted in at the expense of Solomon Kalou.

Roy Hodgson will be buoyed by the return to fitness of Jermone Thomas and Peter Odemwingie – with the latter having put to bed talk of unrest at the club after signing a new long-term deal at The Hawthorns. Though, whether or not both feature remains to be seen, particularly given Shane Long’s goalscoring debut and the nuisance Somen Tchoyi made of himself against Manchester United.

 DID YOU KNOW?
  • Chelsea have never lost to West Brom in the Premier League.
  • On top of that, West Brom have not won at Stamford Bridge in six games now.
  • Though Roy Hodgson's men may have cause for optimism; they haven't lost on their travels in six Premier League games.
  • West Brom will be hoping that Didier Drogba doesn't start. The Ivorian has scored eight goals in seven games against the Baggies.
  • Last season West Brom recouped more points from losing positions than any other Premier League team - chalking up 27 points for their tally.
  • In the last four encounters between the two in west London, Chelsea have not conceded a goal.
  • Chelsea can counter that though, having only dropped six points from winning positions - making them the most efficient team in the league.
  • West Brom only kept two clean sheets last season - a Premier League record.
  • In the corresponding fixture of last year, Chelsea smashed West Brom 6-0.
  • Alongside Arsenal, Chelsea are the Premier League team who have gone on the longest run without a win - a stretch of four games.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Chelsea FC 3-0 West Bromwich Albion
    25.85 %
  • Chelsea FC 4-0 West Bromwich Albion
    23.46 %
  • Chelsea FC 2-0 West Bromwich Albion
    11.73 %
Head to Head
England - Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ Mar 2, 2013 Chelsea FC 1 - West Bromwich Albion 0
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England - Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ Nov 17, 2012 West Bromwich Albion 2 - Chelsea FC 1
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England - Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ Mar 3, 2012 West Bromwich Albion 1 - Chelsea FC 0
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England - Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ Aug 20, 2011 Chelsea FC 2 - West Bromwich Albion 1
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England - Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ Apr 16, 2011 West Bromwich Albion 1 - Chelsea FC 3
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Last Five Matches
Chelsea FC
May 19, 2013Chelsea FC 2 - Everton 1EPL
May 15, 2013Benfica 1 - Chelsea FC 2EL
May 11, 2013Aston Villa 1 - Chelsea FC 2EPL
May 8, 2013Chelsea FC 2 - Tottenham 2EPL
May 5, 2013Man Utd. 0 - Chelsea FC 1EPL
West Bromwich Albion
May 19, 2013West Bromwich Albion 5 - Man Utd. 5EPL
May 12, 2013Norwich City 4 - West Bromwich Albion 0EPL
May 7, 2013Manchester City FC 1 - West Bromwich Albion 0EPL
May 4, 2013West Bromwich Albion 2 - Wigan Athletic 3EPL
Apr 27, 2013Southampton 0 - West Bromwich Albion 3EPL
Odds
Returns: Chelsea £13.00 BetVictor Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET!
Returns: Draw £190.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Returns: West Brom £810.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Team News
Available Squads
40Henrique HilárioGoalkeeper
26John TerryDefender
33AlexDefender
3Ashley ColeDefender
19José BosingwaDefender
12John Obi MikelMidfielder
8Frank LampardMidfielder
7RamiresMidfielder
21Nicolas AnelkaStriker
9Fernando TorresStriker
21Salomon KalouStriker
22Ross TurnbullGoalkeeper
2Branislav IvanovicDefender
19Paulo FerreiraDefender
51Josh McEachranMidfielder
10Yossi BenayounMidfielder
15Florent MaloudaMidfielder
12Didier DrogbaStriker
1Ben FosterGoalkeeper
3Jonas OlssonDefender
30Sebastien Gabriel TamaşDefender
3Nicky ShoreyDefender
12Steven ReidDefender
21Youssouf MulumbuMidfielder
7Paul ScharnerMidfielder
7James MorrisonMidfielder
11Chris BruntMidfielder
5Somen TchoyiMidfielder
9Shane LongStriker
-Márton FülöpGoalkeeper
18Gonzalo JaraDefender
5Marek CechDefender
23Gareth McAuleyDefender
17Graham DorransMidfielder
-Simon CoxStriker
24Peter OdemwingieStriker
Players to Watch
Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 9
Games Goals YC RC
36 8 6 1
It looks as if a pre-season at Chelsea has done Fernando Torres a world of good.

Although the striker didn’t net against Stoke last weekend, the sharp movement and decent efforts on goal were reminiscent of Torres’ time at Liverpool – which can only be a massive bonus for Chelsea.

It’s only a matter of time before Torres gets off the mark for Chelsea and once he gets into his groove, it’s not particularly difficult to envision the Spaniard bagging 20-odd goals this season.

Somen Tchoyi
Somen Tchoyi
Position: Midfielder
Squad Number: 5
Games Goals YC RC
0 0 0 0

The awkward striker looks as if he’s going to be a pretty hands-on job for most Premier League teams this season.

Whereas out-and-out goalscoring may not be Tchoyi’s primary talent, holding the ball up and bringing the Baggies’ plethora of attacking midfielders into the game is where the Cameroonian may have a big influence on the game.

With Peter Odemwingie close to full fitness, Roy Hodgson has somewhat of a selection headache, with Shane Long scoring on his debut and Tchoyi proving a handful for Manchester United to deal with.

Prediction
Though Chelsea smashed the Baggies 6-0 in the corresponding fixture of last year, I don't see such an extreme scoreline this time round.

Against Manchester United, the Baggies showed that they will present a problem to most teams this season, though I think on the day, Chelsea will prove too much for their visitors. I think Chelsea will win this one rather convincingly.
Editor's Prediction
Chelsea 2
West Brom 0
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Robin van Persie Robin van Persie
Striker
Man Utd. 		26 3
Luis Suárez Luis Suárez
Striker
Liverpool 		23 0
Gareth Bale Gareth Bale
Midfielder
Tottenham 		21 0
C. Benteke C. Benteke
Striker
Aston Villa 		19 3
Michu Michu
Midfielder
Swansea City 		19 0