The Baggies welcome the Londoners to the Hawthorns this Saturday, the very same place where Andre Villas-Boas lost his http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Job-c18684 after failing to beat the home team in March.
Form Guide:
West Brom:
Steve Clarke’s men have bounced back well from their earlier defeats to Tottenham and Manchester City, with two wins cementing their position in the English Premier League table.
The attack it seems has finally clicked for West Brom, whose recent outings against Wigan and Southampton suggest that they may finally be able to challenge for a European berth this time around.
However, Clarke and his squad need to be prepared for the Blues’ visit, who themselves have a plethora of front-line options to choose from at the moment.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786:
The reigning champions have exhibited a mix run of results this season, as sensational win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League places them in pole position to secure a place in the latter stages of the competition.
However, a defeat against Manchester United has put them off the pace in the table and they surely need to improve upon the draw with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809, which was uninspired and lacked quality.
Nonetheless, Di Matteo needs to sort out his side so that they can last the entire Premiership campaign and grind out results when they matter most.
Team News:
West Brom:
Coach Clarke’s task against the London giants is far from easy and it has been made more difficult by the glaring omissions in defence, which include Craig Dawson and first choice goalkeeper http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ben-Foster-c7445.
While http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Romelu-Lukaku-c31672 is unable to play against his parent club, the return of Steven Reid (hamstring) and James Morrison (groin) is going to be a timely boost for the tactician as he names his match day squad.
Star attacker Youssuf Mulumbu is still suffering from a hamstring problem and although he wasn’t able to take part in any International friendlies, he is reported to be on the path to recovery and could take to the pitch tomorrow.
Chelsea:
Captain http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/John-Terry-c18895 is a major omission from the trip to the Hawthorns, as Roberti Di Matteo’s star man is currently nursing a knee injury he picked up at Stamford Bridge.
Veteran midfielder http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ashley-Cole-c6809
and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/David-Luiz-c10542, who have been suffering from a hamstring injury and illness respectively.
While talk at the moment is fixed on tomorrow’s crucial game, Di Matteo was thinking ahead and claimed that the FIFA Club World Cup is not a distraction from the team’s core function and that the squad is capable of multi-tasking in various tournaments.
"It will certainly put a big strain on the team, because it is a trip to the other side of the world with different time zones while the Premier League is still playing on," the Blues manager told reporters.
Continuing, he added that the team’s quality was spread in all corners and was enough to tackle the global competition which takes place in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Japan-c2928 this year.
"We will have to deal with that. But we have got a big enough squad that I think we should be able to cope with it."
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