[Chelsea FC News - Chelsea Football Club | The Chelsea FC] Chelsea vs West Br...

[Vishal Marathe]

Chelsea vs West Brom

(English Premier League)

Date: Saturday, 20th August 2011; Kick-Off: 17:30 BST, TV: ESPN

Venue: Stamford Bridge

After the disappointing draw against Stoke at the Britannia Stadium, Chelsea will now be looking to securing all three points against Roy Hodgson's men. This will also mark Andre Villas Boas first game in charge as a manager at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea vs West Brom - Catch all the latest team news, match preview, pre-match analysis, interviews and a lot more right here at Chelsea FC News.

My Views:

I still remember the 6-0 trashing that Chelsea gave West Brom when they last visited Stamford Bridge which included a hat trick from Didier Drogba. Whether he will start or not is in the hands of the manager but looking at the last game against Stoke I feel Torres and Drogba should start up front.

Torres looked lively and should definitely keep his place in the starting line up. I have heard a lot of Drogba-Torres partnership not working and all that stuff (for me its just crap). Both have different styles, Drogba has power and Torres has pace and its an ideal combination for strike partnership not to forget their individual skills.

I was really disappointed with Lampard and Kalou in the last game. It wasn't Frankie's day. Kalou has always looked good when he comes on as a sub (time when he scores most of his goals) and with players like Josh, Anelka, Sturridge, and Romelu Lukaku in the squad he either needs to up his game or the manager must look at the other players.

We hardly created any chances in the last game they were a few to count and we need those services to Torres and Drogba who then can do their stuff. I am not being critical of the team or the manager, goalless draw was a decent result considering it was Andre Villas Boas first game in charge of Chelsea away from home. But today we need to make sure we get all three points and get our campaign started with good number of goals as well.

West Brom did lose 6-0 last year but looking at their previous game against Manchester United they looked solid in defence, yes it was a home game but Hodgson has got things right for West Brom and it will need a special performance (one I am hoping for) from Chelsea to emulate the same result.

It will be emotional return for Robert Di Matteo who faces his previous club which he managed last year.

Its a tough league so every game counts and now even every goal does, so really expecting some good performances from Torres, Drogba, Lampard and Malouda especially our goal force. 

I will go for a 3-0 win for Chelsea with Torres brace and Drogba scoring the third.

Chelsea Team News

Petr Cech will be out of action for a month or so after injuring medial ligaments in training. Hilario or Turnball will take the Czech International's place in goal but its yet to be decided.

 

David Luiz is the other player out injured due to the thigh problem he has carried since returning from the Copa America. Micheal Essien being the only long-term casualty. John Obi Mikel has declared himself available for the game despite the drama surrounding his father's abduction.

New signing Romelu Lukaku is also available while Oriol Romeu has returned from the Under 20 World Cup on Wednesday. Romelu Lukaku could feature on the bench for Chelsea.

West Brom Team News

West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie is battling to shake off the ankle injury that saw him miss the Manchester United defeat. He recently signed a three year contract at West Brom.

Steven Reid and Gareth McAuley are both available for selection but Jerome Thomas is definitely out.


Probable Team Line-ups:

Chelsea: 40 Hilario; 17 Bosingwa, 33 Alex, 26 Terry, 3 Cole; 7 Ramires, 12 Mikel, 8 Lampard; 21 Drogba, 9 Torres, 15 Malouda.

West Bromwich Albion: 1 Foster; 12 Reid, 3 Olsson, 30 Tamas, 20 Shorey; 7 Morrison, 33 Scharner, 21 Mulumbu, 11 Brunt; 5 Tchoyi; 9 Long. 

Referee: Lee Mason

Chelsea vs West Brom - Preview (20-8-11)

Andre Villas Boas on Petr Cech: "He fell awkwardly with weight on top of him, and he stretched a little bit a medial knee ligament."

"We expected much worse when we saw the incident. The good news is that it is just for three to four weeks. We have two goalkeepers, Hilario and Ross Turnbull, and tomorrow we will make a decision which one will start and which one will be on the bench."

"Tomorrow we prepare more strategically for the game and then I will let the players know first."


Andre Villas Boas on David Luiz: "David Luiz can't make a return yet but it is nothing too dramatic. Next week he will be joining us because he already had a light session today and he will come back next week to full training, so it will be a step-by-step recovery for him."


Andre Villas Boas on Robert Di Matteo (ex-manager West Brom) and Chelsea's 6-0 win over West Brom last year: "I think Robbie is too depressed about the result last season to talk about it. We just had some banter about it but he is now on this side and he just wants to win, like we all do."

"Of course it will be emotional for him seeing people he is close to. For sure he will salute those people. Last year was an excellent result and we have two games at home now and we must do everything in our power to get three points from each of them."

"A total of seven points can get us into a good position but West Brom as we saw last week presents a very difficult challenge because they held Man United, the Champions League finalists, up to the 80^th minute."

"They had a couple of good chances and they favour good football, they play short and quick in between them which is something important for the spectacle, so it is a difficult game for us."


Andre Villas Boas on West Brom: "They showed last week against Man United that Roy's values of football are being taken into account. That is why he took Fulham to the Europa League Final."

"That game told me the same about Man United, the team that won the championship last year. They suffered a few injuries, unfortunately for them, but they are a strong team and one of the favourites for the title. All of the good signs for Manchester United are there."


Andre Villas Boas on the first round of games in EPL: "Regarding all the first games in the league, there were a couple of surprises but that is nothing new. In the beginning for all the top teams you can have average performances and I would say that about all the top teams apart from Man City, although until the breakthrough of the first goal Swansea had a couple of periods of possession when, without threatening a lot, they were in control of the game."

"You sensed that a breakthrough would take Man City through to a better result. I thought the same about our game. If you unlock one goal it takes Stoke out of their area and you find more spaces and you can go on to a better result but it just didn't happen."

'The Man United game was a good game with chances at either end and it fell in the end to Man United. I think it was even in opportunities for both teams.'


Andre Villas Boas on Mikel: "I have to go with the word my player gives to me and for the game against Stoke, Mikel felt well enough to play."

"Players that go through major disappointments or personal things in their lives can still be okay to play because they feel well on the pitch. It is the way to avoid the things that are running in their personal lives or to focus on the different things."

"Mikel made himself available for training and selection so I will just judge it like that. I agree he is showing amazing mental toughness."

"Hopefully this can be resolved as soon as possible. All of his colleagues are hopeful of that. Different players can react in different ways. Some players want straight away to go back to their families, others prefer to be like this and live on day by day, not because they are distant from what is happening but it's their choice."


KEY STAT

Last season's opening day 6-0 win equalled our best-ever winning margin over the Baggies, following our 7-1 victory in 1960.

Last Season:

Chelsea 6 West Brom 1, West Brom 1 Chelsea 3

So get ready for some pulsating action at Stamford Bridge. Come on CHELSEA!!! KTBFFH.

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Posted By Vishal Marathe to Chelsea FC News - Chelsea Football Club | The Chelsea FC at 8/20/2011 02:20:00 PM