Chelsea host West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, as Rafa Benitez's side step up their attempts to return to third place in the Premier League table.

Where to Watch

Kick-off is set for 3pm GMT. Watch the highlights of the game on Match of the Day on BBC One and BBC One HD at 10.25pm GMT.

Chelsea beat Middlesbrough 2-0 on Wednesday
Reuters

Overview

Chelsea would be keen to post a win over the Baggies and remain in the top four, with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal providing them some tough competition in the race for a Champions League spot. Spurs are currently two points ahead of the Blues, while the Gunners are two behind. However, the north London duo face each other at White Hart Lane on Sunday and at least one of them, if not two, is bound to drop points there.

The Blues beat Middlesbrough 2-0 at the Riverside Stadium in midweek to book an FA Cup quarter-final clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Baggies, on the other hand, sit seventh in the league and have reignited their challenge for a Europa League place, with back-to-back wins over Liverpool and Sunderland in the last few weeks. The game will see West Brom boss and Chelsea legend Steve Clarke making his return to the Bridge, after spending around 15 years at the club as a player and youth team coach.

West Brom is a becoming a significant opposition for Chelsea of late, as their last two managers have been sacked after suffering defeats to the Baggies. Andre Villas-Boas was shown the door after a 1-0 defeat in March last year, while his replacement Roberto Di Matteo was fired after a 2-1 defeat in the reverse fixture in November, earlier this season.

Form Guide

Chelsea

  • Last Five Games (all competitions, most recent first): W L D W W
  • Last Match: Middlesbrough 0 - 2 Chelsea

West Bromwich Albion

  • Last Five Games (all competitions, most recent first): W W L L D
  • Last Match: West Bromwich Albion 2 - 1 Sunderland
Shane Long has a fitness test but Romelu Lukaku is ineligible to face Chelsea
Reuters

Team News

Chelsea: Cesar Azpilicueta (leg) and Gary Cahill (virus) missed the trip to Middlesbrough but the latter could be available for this game, if he clears his late fitness test. Meanwhile, long-term absentee Oriol Romeu (knee) remains sidelined.

Benitez will make a bunch of changes from the rotated side that played in midweek, with Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Juan Mata, Eden Hazard, David Luiz, John Obi Mikel and Demba Ba all expected to return to the starting line-up at the expense of Paulo Ferreira, Ryan Bertrand, Nathan Ake, Victor Moses, Yossi Benayoun, Oscar and Fernando Torres.

Probable Line-up: (4-2-3-1) Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Cole; Mikel, Lampard; Ramires, Mata, Hazard; Ba

West Bromwich Albion: Clarke will be without Romelu Lukaku, as the Belgian is ineligible to play against his parent club. Meanwhile, his fellow forward Shane Long (ankle) had resumed training and could be fit to start at Stamford Bridge. Defender Goran Popov will serve the final game of a three-match suspension, while midfielders Zoltan Gera and George Thorne (both knee) are out for the remainder of the season.

Probable Line-up: (4-2-3-1) Foster; S Reid, McAuley, J Olsson, Ridgewell; Mulumbu, Yacob; Morrison, Dorrans, Brunt; Long

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