Chelsea – WBA

Chelsea won 3-0 against Schalke in the Champions League midweek but will look to bounce back in the Premier League too, after losing 2-0 at Newcastle in their last domestic outing. West Bromwich will be confident they can get some points at Stamford Bridge, so this should make for an interesting encounter.

After a rather poor start to the season, Chelsea finally got going under Mourinho and they were on a great 6 match winning streak until losing to Newcastle last week. However, Mourinho mixed things up a bit and masterminded a 3-0 win over Schalke midweek, so one could assume that Chelsea is fine and the loss against Newcastle was just an accident. The London side has some amazing quality in the roster, especially up front, where they have fantastic competition for the striker spot (Torres, Eto’o, Ba) and the attacking midfielder places (Hazard, Oscar, Mada, Schurrle, Willian, De Bruyne).

West Bromwich are on an honorable 11th place, despite winning only once in the last 4 games. Their performances have been inconsistent, alternating good games with bad ones. They have an inexperienced manager at helm (Steve Clarke) and they didn`t really play to well, they were very lucky in a lot of games. They did win against Manchester United on the road and held Arsenal to a 1-1 home draw, but at least against the Devils they were incredibly fortunate. WBA defeated Crystal Palace 2-0 last round but their last away game was a 1-4 drubbing to the hands of Liverpool, with West Brom showing obvious limits in their game.

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Team news & lineups

Mourinho has a full squad available at his disposal, except for Torres and Van Ginkel. The spaniard`s absence will be a blow, but Eto’o and especially Ba have performed at a top level recently, so they should be able to to the job. Hazard will sit on the bench, Mourinho being angry at him after he missed training  a few days ago due to losing his passport. WBA misses Gera, Foster and Jones. The visitors also have Anelka and Sinclair doubtful.

Chelsea: Cech – Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole – Lampard, Ramires – Schürrle, Mata, Oscar – Eto’o.

WBA: Myhill – Reid, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell – Mulumbu, Morrison – Amalfitabo, Sesegnon, Berahino – Long.

WBA is a decent team in the Premier League but they are really overachieving if you look at their recent performances. They showed their limits in the 1-4 defeat against Liverpool and that result could be repeated today, especially with WBA missing some important players. Chelsea is in great form and their attacking setup is simply brilliant. The Blues have been impressive at home, winning all their 5 Premier League games and amassing a goal difference of 12-3. Arsenal is 5 points clear of today`s hosts, so Chelsea really needs a win. I expect them to get it over this WBA side, and with the attacking quality and form Chelsea has, they should also be able to cover the 1 goal handicap – especially since WBA is hesitant at the back. I really can`t see this WBA side (with their inconsistent play and limits) doing any damage at Stamford Bridge against an in-form Chelsea side.

My pick is a comfortable and dominant home win. Chelsea – West Bromwich Albion 4-1.

Pick: Chelsea (-1,5)
Odds: 1.98 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 7.84
Event date: 9 November

Editor Facts

• Rostick is 4 for 7 in tips involving Chelsea this season