Preview: Chelsea - West Bromwich Albion

Posted Friday, August 13, 2010 by Goal.com

* Kick-off: Saturday August 14 , 17:30 BST
* Stamford Bridge, London, England

Chelsea suffer from pre-season Blues

Chelsea begin the defence of their Premier League title with a home game against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday evening.

The Blues won an historic league and FA Cup Double last season, but go into the new campaign short on momentum after a disappointing pre-season campaign – where they won just once – was capped off by defeat to Manchester United in the Community Shield.

Defeats to Ajax, Hamburg and Eintracht Frankfurt before their loss to the Red Devils at Wembley caused concerns for manager Carlo Ancelotti, who has also had fitness worries over a number of his key players in recent weeks.

There are likely to be new faces at Stamford Bridge – the likes of Ramires and Neymar are being heavily linked to the Blues – before the end of August, but it is the current crop that need to get the season off to a winning start.

And despite their problems before the big kick-off, few will be betting against a Chelsea victory on home soil as the serious business gets under way.

The Blues, who scored over 100 league goals in 2009/10, have won their last 10 matches against Saturday’s opponents and it will be a major upset if that sequence is not extended to 11.

Baggies look to end 'yo-yo' reputation

West Brom have certainly been the 'yo-yo' club of the 21st century so far, being promoted four times from the Championship and relegated back to the second tier on three occasions.

That means they are now starting a new season in a different division for the eighth time in ten campaigns.

The Baggies did buck the trend and dramatically stay in the top-flight on the final day of the 2004-05 season, but the odds are against them repeating that feat this time around - the bookies rate them as the second most likely side to go down, behind only Blackpool.

Boss Roberto Di Matteo has signed Boaz Myhill, Nicky Shorey, Pablo Ibanez and Steven Reid over the summer, as well as securing Gabriel Tamas on a permanent deal ahead of what is set to be a long struggle against the drop.

Games against the likes of Chelsea will not be the ones which decide the Baggies’ fate, though, so anything they do pick up will be considered a bonus and this may be a good time to play the champions with their worries over form and fitness.

In all likelihood, though, Di Matteo will already have one eye on next week’s home game against Sunderland as his search for around 40 Premier League points begins.

TEAM NEWS

Chelsea

Chelsea are hoping that goalkeeper Petr Cech will be fit enough to return in time for the game, after problems with a calf injury meant Henrique Hilario and Ross Turnbull stood in for him throughout pre-season.

Didier Drogba should be fit enough to play a full part in proceedings after being restricted to a substitute appearance in the Community Shield, although Alex is out with a thigh problem and Ricardo Carvalho has joined Real Madrid.

That means Branislav Ivanovic is set to continue in the centre of defence alongside John Terry, with Paulo Ferreira at right-back.

Possible Starting XI: Cech; Ferreira, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole; Mikel, Essien, Lampard; Anelka, Drogba, Malouda.

West Brom

West Brom’s main injury concern comes in the form of key player Graham Dorrans, who had to pull out of Scotland’s midweek friendly against Sweden with a groin strain.

He will be assessed in the run up to kick-off, as will new signing Pablo Ibanez, who looks likely to recover from a minor problem that forced him to withdraw from last week’s friendly with Osasuna after the warm-up.

Possible Starting XI: Carson, Jara, Tamas, Ibanez, Shorey; Mulumbu, Brunt; Morrison, Dorrans, Thomas; Bednar.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Chelsea

Didier Drogba scored 37 goals in a sensational 2009-10 season as he helped Chelsea to the Double - a return which saw him finish 11th in the Goal.com 50.

After his World Cup and pre-season campaign were disrupted by injury, though, the Ivorian will be desperate to make up for lost time and get off to a goalscoring start.

A home game against newly promoted opposition gives him the perfect chance to do just that.

West Brom

Scott Carson has a big season ahead of him as he aims to get back into the England set-up after David James was dropped and Paul Robinson retired from the international scene.

The Baggies shot stopper is likely to be busy on Saturday and will need to be on top of his game if the visitors are to pick up anything from their trip to west London.

PREDICTION

Chelsea have had a miserable pre-season so their players will be desperate to put that behind them as the defence of their league title gets under way.

The quality players the Blues have at their disposal should mean they achieve a comfortable victory against West Brom.

The Baggies are aiming to avoid another relegation this season and their fate is more likely to be decided by the games they play against their nearest rivals.

Chelsea 2-0 West Bromwich Albion