Chelsea will welcome West Brom at the Stamford Bridge on Saturday where Jose Mourinho, who is reluctant to give credence to the Blues’ November curse, knows very well that another slip-up in the league will be simply unacceptable.
In their last league match, Chelsea were surprisingly defeated 2-0 by Newcastle United, a game after which Mourinho admitted he made 11 mistakes in selection. He made six changes to the side that earned victory against Schalke 04 in the midweek in the Champions League, so it will be interesting to see, how the Portuguese shapes up his team for this tie.
Chelsea have suffered only one defeat in their past 8 matches in all competitions where Mourinho’s side have scored more than 2 goals (except the Newcastle match) so expect an over 2.5 goals at 8/13 with Ladbrokes for this game.
West Bromwich Albion are certainly no pushovers here. They are 11th in the league, have lost only once in their last 7 games and have defeated Manchester United already at Old Trafford, so Steve Clarke’s side should go into the match brimming with full confidence. Apart from the match against Stoke City, they have scored in all of their seven games (out of last eight) so expect both teams to score at 11/10 with Ladbrokes on Saturday.
Team News:
Fernando Torres is still not fully fit yet and remains sidelined with a thigh problem, so expect Samuel Eto’o or Demba Ba to start. Eden Hazard, who missed the last game due to disciplinary reasons, is back in the side again. Oscar has been the best player for the Blues and in absence of Torres, expect him to add another to his goal tally. He is at 7/4 with Ladbrokes to score at anytime in the match.
Likewise, West Brom will be relying on the form of Saido Berahino, who has scored his sixth of the campaign in all competitions in last weekend’s win over Crystal Palace. The 20-year-old is at 4/1to score anytime against Chelsea at the Bridge.
The Baggies is likely to miss the services of Scott Sinclair, while former Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka is also doubtful. However, former Everton striker Victor Anichebe has fully recovered from a hamstring injury.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-1 West Brom. The Blues are clear favourites among the bookies and are at 2/7 with Ladbrokes to win the match against West Brom on Saturday.
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