CHELSEA v WEST BROMWICH ALBION
Barclays Premier League Wednesday 13th January
2016,
7:45pm Stamford Bridge
MATCH
NOTES
The game will be the 135th
league and cup meeting between Albion and Chelsea. The Blues currently lead the
way in terms of victories with 56 compared to Albion's 43. There have been 19
Premier League meetings with Chelsea winning 14 and the Baggies three.
Albion's last game on January 13 came in 2009 - the
Baggies winning a FA Cup 3rd round replay at Peterborough United thanks to goals
from Jay Simpson and Paul Robinson. The club's last league game on this date
took place in 2001 when they suffered a 2-0 defeat at Queens Park Rangers in a
League Division One fixture.
The Baggies have played eight league games previously on
January 13 and have failed to win any of them (D3 L5).
Chelsea's last game on this date took place in 2007
- the Blues beating Wigan Athletic 4-0 in a Premier League clash at Stamford
Bridge.
Chelsea are unbeaten in 11
top-flight home games against the Baggies, their last defeat coming in September
1978.
Albion have lost 14 Premier League games against
Chelsea, more than versus any other team.
The Baggies
are attempting to win three successive league matches for the first time since a
run of four victories in a row in November 2012.
Albion's last six games: Bristol City (H, FAC) 2-2; Stoke City (H) 2-1; Newcastle United (H) 1-0;
Swansea City (A) 0-1; Bournemouth (H) 1-2;
Liverpool (A) 2-2.
Chelsea's last six games: Scunthorpe United (H, FAC)
2-0; Crystal Palace (A) 3-0; Manchester United (A) 0-0; Watford (H) 2-2;
Sunderland (H) 3-1; Leicester City (A) 1-2.
TEAM
NEWS
Albion
Victor Anichebe and Jonas Olsson are both doubtful
for the trip to Stamford Bridge due to hamstring injuries.
Boaz Myhill may return to the starting line-up
after being rested against Bristol City in the FA Cup last Saturday.
Squad:
Foster, Myhill, Lindegaard,
Chester, Gamboa, Dawson, Olsson, McAuley, Evans, Brunt, Pocognoli, Fletcher,
Yacob, McClean, McManaman, Gardner, Morrison, Sessegnon, Lambert, Berahino,
Anichebe, Rondon.
Chelsea
Diego Costa (knee) and Loic Remy
(calf) have both overcome injuries and are fit for the Stamford Bridge clash.
Eden Hazard (groin) and Radamel
Falcao (thigh) remain out.
Squad:
Courtois, Begovic, Ivanovic,
Fabregas, Zouma, Rahman, Ramires, Oscar, Mikel, Traore, Djilobodji, Kenedy,
Pedro, Remy, Costa, Matic, Willian, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Amelia, Aina,
Loftus-Cheek.
MATCH
ODDS
Result
Albion Win: 7/1, Chelsea Win: 4/9, Draw: 16/5.
First Goalscorer Albion:
Rondon 11/1, Lambert 12/1, Lambert 12/1, Anichebe 12/1, Sessegnon 16/1,
McManaman 20/1, McClean 20/1, Morrison 20/1, Gnabry 20/1, Gardner 25/1, Fletcher
28/1, Brunt 33/1, Dawson 33/1.
Chelsea: Costa 3/1, Remy 7/2, Hazard 4/1, Bamford
9/2, Oscar 5/1, Pedro 5/1, Willian 6/1, Traore 15/2, Fabregas 9/1, Kenedy 10/1,
Ramires 11/1, Ivanovic 14/1, Matic 14/1, Loftus-Cheek 16/1, Terry 20/1, Cahill
25/1, Zouma 25/1, Obi Mikel 33/1.
No Goalscorer: 10/1.
www.williamhill.com
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Anthony
Taylor (Cheshire)
Assistant Referees:
Simon Long (Cornwall) & Darren Cann (Norfolk)
Fourth Official: Paul Tierney (Lancashire)
Taylor has refereed one Albion
game so far this season - the 3-2 defeat at home to
Leicester
City
in October.
He refereed three Albion games
last season - the 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford in May, the 2-0
FA Cup quarter final defeat at Aston Villa in March and the 2-0 defeat at home
to Everton in September.
The Cheshire official has taken
charge of two Chelsea matches during 2015/16 - the 1-0 defeat at
Stoke City
in November and the 1-0 defeat against Arsenal in the Community Shield in
August.
Taylor has issued 85 yellow
cards and two red in the 24 games he has officiated so far this season.
A full run-down of Taylor's history refereeing the
Baggies can be found
here
TICKET INFORMATION
Albion were handed an allocation
of 1,500 tickets for the game priced at £50 adults and £23 seniors (65+) and juniors (under-20).
WEATHER FORECAST
Light cloud, 6°C.
FIXTURE HISTORY
The first ever league meeting of the two clubs came at
Stamford Bridge in September 1905, just months after the London club had been
formed. Albion lost that initial Division Two game 1-0 with Bob McRoberts
scoring for the home side. The return game at The Hawthorns in January ended in
a 1-1 draw, Jack Manners the Albion scorer.
Albion's best league victory over the Londoners is 5-2, a
scoreline achieved twice - away at Stamford Bridge in April 1929 when Tommy
Glidden hit a hat-trick, and at The Hawthorns in October 1953 when the
late, great, Ronnie Allen notched a treble. Allen had a fantastic scoring
record against the Blues, hitting 14 goals in 19 league games between the
sides.
The Baggies also registered a 8-1 win in October 1945 at The
Hawthorns in a Football League South
meeting,
Ike Clarke scoring four of the goals
The game came just a week after the two clubs had shared 11 goals at
Stamford Bridge, Chelsea coming out on top in that one 7-4.
Chelsea's best victory over
Albion came at Stamford Bridge in December 1960 when five goals from the
legendary Jimmy Greaves helped the Blues to a easy 7-1 victory.
Albion have a poor recent record
against Chelsea, winning just three of the last 29 league and cup games.
Albion's last victory at
Stamford Bridge came in November 1983 when Ron Wylie's men beat the Londoners
1-0 in a League Cup 3rd round tie whilst the club's last league victory in
West London came in September 1978, Albion running out 3-1
winners thanks to goals from Cyrille Regis, John Wile and Tony Brown.
The Baggies last kept a league
clean sheet at Stamford Bridge back in December 1967.
A full fixture history between the two teams can be found here
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
(Click on game to view)
Saturday 9 November 2013 - Chelsea 2-2 Albion - Premier League - Stamford Bridge
Saturday 4 March 2006 - Albion 1-2 Chelsea - Premier League - The Hawthorns
Saturday 4 January 1997 - Chelsea 3-0 Albion - FA Cup 3rd Round - Stamford Bridge
Wednesday 22 September 1993 - Albion 1-1 Chelsea - League Cup Second Round 1st Leg - The Hawthorns
Saturday 7 August 1993 - Albion 3-0 Chelsea - Pre-Season Friendly - The Hawthorns
Saturday 8 April 1989 - Albion 2-3 Chelsea - Second Division - The Hawthorns
Saturday 30 September 1978 - Chelsea 1-3 Albion - First Division - Stamford Bridge
Saturday 1 March 1969 - Chelsea 1-2 Albion - FA Cup Quarter Final - Stamford Bridge
Saturday 12 February 1949 - Albion 3-0 Chelsea - FA Cup 5th Round - The Hawthorns
LAST MEETING AT STAMFORD BRIDGE
Chelsea
2-0 Albion Barclays Premier League Saturday 22nd November 2014, 3:00pm
Chelsea: Courtois,
Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Matic, Fabregas, Willian (Ramires 86),
Oscar (Remy 80), Hazard, D Costa (Drogba 84). Subs not used: Cech, Zouma,
Filipe Luis, Schurrle.
Goalscorers:
Costa 11, Hazard 25
Booked: Willian 75 (foul)
Albion:
Foster, Wisdom, Dawson, Lescott,
Yacob, Baird (Gamboa 67), Gardner, Brunt, Dorrans (Morrison 84), Sessegnon,
Berahino (Anichebe 78). Subs not used: Myhill, McAuley, Samaras, Ideye.
Sent-off:
Yacob 29 (serious foul play)
Attendance: 41,600
Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire)
Chelsea's title charge shows no
signs of abating, with West Brom the latest side swatted away by Jose Mourinho's
men. It may only be November but few look capable of preventing the west
Londoners from lifting the Premier League trophy aloft at the end of the season.
West Brom were the Blues' latest victims, with first-half goals from Diego Costa
and Eden Hazard securing Chelsea a victory that was far more dominant than the
2-0 scoreline suggests. It was their sixth straight league win this season at
Stamford
Bridge
- which was far more atmospheric than the last outing against QPR - and a result
saw the Blues start a top-flight campaign unbeaten in 12 for the first time.
It did not take long for Costa
to open the scoring here, with the striker, now fully-fit after various niggles,
impressively notching his 11th goal in just 10 league matches after offside
calls were ignored. Hazard extended the Blues' lead soon after with a fizzing
strike which took a slight deflection as it beat the otherwise excellent Ben
Foster, whose goal always looked likely to breached further when Claudio Yacob
was given a straight red card. The Argentinian midfielder's reckless 29th-minute
challenge on Costa forced
Albion into damage limitation mode and impressively they pulled it
off, preventing Chelsea
from causing any more damage.
It was one-way traffic from the
outset and Mourinho's side would have taken the lead inside five minutes was it
not for Foster impressively preventing John Terry from turning home a low Hazard
cross. The league leaders would not have to wait long to make the breakthrough,
though. Neat team play saw Oscar float the ball to unmarked Costa, who
impressively controlled with his chest and struck a right-footed volley past
Foster. There were shades of offside about the Spaniard's latest goal but it
stood nonetheless as the hosts' dominance continued, with Foster doing well to
smother Costa after saving Oscar's initial effort. Hazard was, as always,
proving a nuisance, wriggling free only to see his shot blocked by Andre Wisdom,
before Gary Cahill struck wide and Costa stabbed an early Branislav Ivanovic
cross just wide. The second goal looked inevitable and so it proved, arriving in
the 25th minute. Oscar played an intelligent short corner to Hazard, with the
Belgian jinking free before unleashing a fizzing strike that snuck past Foster
via a slight deflection off Craig Gardner. As if being 2-0 down to the league
leaders was not tough enough, the Baggies were reduced to 10 men just before the
half-hour mark. Yacob, making his first league start of the campaign, launched
into a heavy, two-footed challenge on Costa just outside the box. The
Argentinian got the ball but referee Lee Mason deemed the challenge reckless and
dished out a straight red card to the perplexed midfielder. Oscar wasted the
free-kick which followed but Chelsea continued to press, with an exquisite Cesc
Fabregas pass looking set to give Chelsea a third, only for the move to end when
Cesar Azpilicueta was thwarted by Graham Dorrans. Nemanja Matic had a low strike
from distance and Foster did well to deny Hazard as half-time approached, while
Oscar and Ivanovic had penalty appeals rejected as the onslaught continued.
Half-time will have no doubt
been a welcome respite to Alan Irvine's side, who continued on the back foot
when play resumed. Matic volleyed over from close range having all too easily
got behind the West Brom defence minutes after the restart, with Foster
producing another fine save to deny Terry - a chance which would not have
counted anyway as the Chelsea captain had been flagged for a foul. West Brom
were now sitting back and soaking up pressure, with the hosts dominating
possession but struggling to recreate their first-half fluidity. Hazard was
denied by the outrushing Foster when put through by Fabregas as the home side
continued to hunt out another goal. Costa, shortly after being caught by Craig
Dawson, was replaced by Didier Drogba for the closing stages, yet even his
introduction, along with that of Loic Remy and Ramires, was unable to help
Chelsea
grab what have been a deserved third.
Sporting Life
CURRENT CONNECTIONS
Academy starlet Isaiah Brown made his debut for
Albion on May 4, 2013, against
Wigan Athletic at The Hawthorns, becoming the second-youngest player in Premier
League history at the age of 16 years and 117 days. He joined Chelsea in a
controversial move in July 2013. The player is currently on a season-long loan
deal at Dutch side Vitesse.
PAST
CONNECTIONS
Amongst the players to have turned out at various levels for
both clubs are: Nicolas Anelka, Neil Clement, Stan Crowther, Shaun Cummings, Warren Cummings, Alan Dickens,
Perry Digweed, Tony Godden, Bobby Gould, Derek Kevan,
Romelu Lukaku, Jimmy Millar, Paddy Mulligan, Frank Nouble, Fred Richardson, Graham Roberts, Fred Rouse, Frank
Sinclair, Scott Sinclair, David Speedie, Kenny Swain, Mickey Thomas and
Andy Townsend.
Former Baggies’ boss Steve Clarke spent 11 years as a player
with Chelsea between 1987-98, making 421 appearances. He also spent four
years coaching the Blues' first-team;
Roberto Di Matteo managed both clubs having previously had a
lengthy spell as a Chelsea player, whilst another former Blues' player
Eddie Newton, was Di Matteo's assistant at both The Hawthorns and
Stamford Bridge;
Former Albion manager Jack Smith was a player for
Chelsea prior to the Second World War; World Cup winner Sir Geoff
Hurst had a short spell as a player at The Hawthorns before later
managing the London club; Ex-Albion player and manager Don Howe
had a spell as Chelsea coach; Former Baggies' goalkeeper Bob Ward would
later act as Chelsea physio; Former sprint champion Ade Mafe has
acted as fitness coach for both clubs.
ALL-TIME LEAGUE & CUP RECORD VS CHELSEA
VENUE |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Home |
66 |
26 |
17 |
23 |
108 |
79 |
Away |
66 |
17 |
17 |
32 |
85 |
130 |
Neutral |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
Total |
134 |
43 |
35 |
56 |
194 |
214 |
LAST
TEN MATCHES AGAINST CHELSEA
DATE |
COMPETITION |
H/A |
F-A |
SCORERS |
GATE |
Sun 23 Aug 2015 |
Premier League |
H |
2-3 |
Morrison 2 - Pedro, Costa, Azpilicueta |
23,256 |
Mon 18 May 2015 |
Premier League |
H |
3-0 |
Berahino 2 (1 pen), Brunt |
24,750 |
Sat 22 Nov 2014 |
Premier League |
A |
0-2 |
Costa, E Hazard |
41,600 |
Tue 11 Feb 2014 |
Premier League |
H |
1-1 |
Anichebe - Ivanovic |
24,327 |
Sat 09 Nov 2013 |
Premier League |
A |
2-2 |
Long, Sessegnon - Eto'o, E Hazard (pen) |
41,623 |
Sat 02 Mar 2013 |
Premier League |
A |
0-1 |
Ba |
41,548 |
Sat 17 Nov 2012 |
Premier League |
H |
2-1 |
Long, Odemwingie - E Hazard |
25,933 |
Sat 03 Mar 2012 |
Premier League |
H |
1-0 |
McAuley |
24,838 |
Sat 20 Aug 2011 |
Premier League |
A |
1-2 |
Long - Anelka, Malouda |
41,091 |
Sat 16 Apr 2011 |
Premier League |
H |
1-3 |
Odemwingie - Drogba, Kalou, Lampard |
25,163 |
OTHER PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday 12th January
7:45pm - Aston Villa v Crystal Palace;
Bournemouth v West Ham United; Newcastle United v Manchester United.
Wednesday
13th January
7:45pm - Manchester City v Everton; Southampton v
Watford; Stoke City v Norwich City; Swansea City v Sunderland.
8:00pm - Liverpool v Arsenal; Tottenham Hotspur v
Leicester City.
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