Match day-3 of the Premier League is fast approaching this weekend. We have a lot of crackers of games in the third round of the English league. West Bromwich Albion are all set to host the Blues here on Saturday. Chelsea will play away from their home after facing a defeat at home against Liverpool. However, West Bromwich Albion isn’t having the same start as Chelsea. They are currently in the relegation zone after gaining promotion from Championship.
The Baggies have lost two of their last two games and it’ll be a big ask for them to defeat Chelsea at home. West Brom will be looking to display the defensive style of play against sphere heading Chelsea attack. Slaven will be keen to utilize the counters from which, they can break Chelsea’s wall. West Bromwich Albion are coming into this game with three consecutive losses. The mentality of the players will be an important factor for West Brom.
Analysis
While Chelsea are also coming into this game after a loss against Klopp’s Liverpool. The Reds scored twice against Chelsea at the famous Stamford Bridge. As a result, Chelsea will go all-out on the attack to gain all three points from this away game. Lampard needs to hit the ground running after a busy summer transfer window.
The Blues are still not yet done with their signings this summer. Declan Rice has been their prime target for their defensive midfield position. West Ham United are still not yet convinced with Chelsea’s bid for their star midfielder. However, Chelsea might cash-in in the coming weeks before the deadline. The Londoners have a strong attacking setup after their new signings this summer.
Considering Chelsea, West Bromwich doesn’t have any big names in their squad. The squad strength depends completely on their defense. While Chelsea has good depth in attack. So, it’ll be an intriguing contest between both sides this Saturday.
When and where?
West Bromwich Albion will host Chelsea at The Hawthorns in the Premier League on 26th September (22:00 IST).
Team News and Expected Lineup
West Bromwich Albion
Team News
Slaven’s side will be ready to face Chelsea in their home with some key players out. After their 5-2 defeat against the Toffees, West Bromwich Albion are eager to at least get a point from this tough contest. West Bromwich Albion will play with former Chelsea star defender Branislav Ivanovic at the back. The veteran defender made his debut for West Brom against Brentford this Tuesday in the cup game.
However, Ivanovic couldn’t help his side from getting axed in the EFL cup tourney. He will be desperate to face his former English club. Ivanovic had a good spell with the Russian side, Zenit St. Petersburg. The defender is back to England and will lead the 5-men defense of West Bromwich Albion.
While Kieran Gibbs will miss the upcoming game after picking up red against Everton. Hegazi and Robson-Kanu are still doubtful for this game with slight injury and Zohore is sidelined due to injury.
Expected Lineup
Johnstone; Furlong, Ajayi, Ivanovic, O’Shea, Townsend; Pereira, Sawyer’s, Livermore, Diangana; Robinson.
Chelsea
Team News
Lampard will try to implement his best eleven on the field this Saturday. Almost all his new signings and players are fit to play this weekend. Likes of Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell weren’t matched fit when they arrived at Stamford bridge. But, now they’re ready to step on to the field to represent the Blues.
Apart from Gilmour, Hakim Ziyech and Pulisic all other players are fit to play this weekend. The players are likely to be back in training by October middle. Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell might make their debut for Chelsea in the Premier League this Saturday. Both of them played yesterday (Wednesday) against Barnsley in the cup game, which ended with a scoreline 6-0.
Ben Chilwell came off the bench to provide an assist for the Blues. Christensen is also back with the squad after the one-match ban. Edouard Mendy won’t be available for selection even though he’s a Chelsea player now. He’ll need to clear the COVID-19 test and quarantine before stepping on to the field. Willy Caballero might start ahead of Kepa, due to his horror-show last week against Liverpool.
Expected Lineup
Willy Caballero; Chilwell, Thiago Silva, Zouma, Reece James; N’Golo Kante, Kovacic; Mount, Kai Havertz; Werner, Abraham.
Head to head in Premier League
Obviously, Chelsea has the advantage clearly over West Bromwich Albion. The Londoners have won their last 5 games against the Baggies out of six. They’ve drawn only one game against West Brom, which was played back in January with a scoreline 2-2. Chelsea might win this contest again to take the lead in the head to head contest, although they have veteran defender Ivanovic on their side now.
Key Players
Matheus Pereira
Fans will be expecting a lot from the Brazilian attacker. Matheus has been the go-to man for West Bromwich Albion. The midfielder tends to create more opportunities for his fellow forward players. Matheus has been in good form in the Premier League as well. The 24-year-old Brazilian has found the net once already in Premier League. He also has one assist to his name this season. He can be the player to watch out for in the Baggies side.
Ben Chilwell
Former Leicester City full-back might make his competitive debut for Chelsea this weekend. The talented English left-back will be one key player to watch out in Chelsea. He tends to take the ball forward on the wing and thread the ball into the striker’s feet. However, he’ll feel some pressure playing the first game for the Blues in a competitive game in Premier League. He might assist one or two goals considering his form and West Brom’s defense against Everton.
Final score Prediction
The clash of the weekend might end in favor of the Londoners. Chelsea might come out as winners of this game. However, Slaven and Ivanovic will do everything in their power to stop the Blues attack and look to optimize the counters. Although, their prime motive will be to park the bus with five men at the back. The scoreline might read 0-2 in favor of Chelsea on Saturday.
