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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.

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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.

Wednes
day 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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