Chelsea will welcome a resurgent Swansea City to the Stamford Bridge as they look to extend their lead at the top of the table with 2nd placed Manchester City and 3rd placed Arsenal absent from this weekend’s Premier League action. Chelsea drew 2-2 against the Swans in the reverse fixture and will be looking to exact revenge for that particular game. The Blues are well on their way to the title while the Liberty Stadium outfit will have to carry this new found confidence and solidity and take it to the end of the season if they are to have a chance of finishing above the relegation zone.
The game will be heavily tilted in favour of the home team but Paul Clement can dream of causing some sort of an upset and for that, he will need his players performing at a much higher level than what they usually manage to do.
TRIVIA
- After winning six of their first eight Premier League meetings with Swansea (D2), Chelsea are winless in their last three against them (D2 L1).
- Swansea’s 2-2 draw on the opening day of the 2015-16 season was their first Premier League point earned at Stamford Bridge.
- The Swans have netted four goals in their last two league visits to Stamford Bridge, the same number they’d scored in their previous 10 games there combined.
- Diego Costa has scored seven goals in his four Premier League games against Swansea, more than he has against any other side in the competition. This includes a hat-trick in this exact fixture in September 2014.
- Costa’s rate of 1.75 goals per game against Swansea is the best of any Chelsea against a particular opponent in Premier League history (minimum four games against them).
- Gylfi Sigurdsson has scored four Premier League goals against Chelsea, more than he has against any other side (two for Swansea, two for Tottenham).
- Sigurdsson has been involved in more Premier League goals than any midfielder this season (16, eight goals and eight assists).
- Paul Clement was assistant manager to Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea between 2009 and 2011. While there, Chelsea won 48 of 76 Premier League (D13 L15).
- This could be Cesc Fabregas’ 300th Premier League game, becoming the first Spanish player to reach this milestone.
TEAM NEWS AND PREDICTED LINE-UPS
CHELSEA (3-4-3)
Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois should be involved after recovering from illness earlier in the week. David Luiz and Marcos Alonso, who were rested for the FA Cup win at Wolves, are set to return.
Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill; Moses, Matic, Kante, Alonso; Pedro, Costa, Hazard
SWANSEA CITY (4-3-3)
Swansea captain Leon Britton could feature for the first time under head coach Paul Clement after overcoming calf and back problems. January signings Luciano Narsingh and Jordan Ayew are pushing to make their first starts.
Fabianski; Naughton, Fernandez, Mawson, Olsson; Carroll, Cork, Fer; Sigurdsson, Llorente, Ayew
BETTING ODDS
CHELSEA- 1/4
DRAW- 11/2
SWANSEA CITY- 14/1
TRIVIA COURTESY- OPTA
