West Bromwich Albion vs. Chelsea: Preview, Live Stream, Start Time and More

Chelsea will look to put their Champions League struggles behind them when they return to Premier League action against West Bromwich Albion this weekend.

The Blues are tied with Arsenal for fourth in the league table, and cannot afford to drop valuable points in the quest to earn European football again.

West Brom is 13th in the league table and although relegation is unlikely, the club still needs all the points possible for the best finish.

Let's look at everything you need to know about this exciting matchup.

Where: The Hawthorns, Sandwell, England

Watch: Fox Soccer Plus

Live Stream: Fox Soccer 2 Go

When: Saturday, March 3 at 10:00 a.m. ET

Most Important Player to Watch in this Match: Juan Mata

Juan Mata has been Chelsea's best player this season, and he was one of the few bright spots in the club's 3-1 defeat to Serie A side Napoli last week.

Mata scored in that match, and he will have to do so again on Saturday to help the Blues earn all three important points against West Brom. Mata is a playmaker and a brilliant scoring talent, and will need to lead the Chelsea attack this weekend.

Key Matchup: Chelsea center backs vs. West Brom forwards

Gary Cahill and David Luiz must play better against West Brom than they did against Napoli because an early goal could ruin the confidence of the Blues.

Mistakes in the defensive third of the field will cost Chelsea points against the West Brom forwards unless they are smart and don't make foolish runs forward to join the attack.

What They're Saying

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech talked about the team's mood, saying via Soccernet:

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"The mood always derives from results so the mood is better,'' Cech said.

"Tottenham lost at the weekend. We can to get closer and play for third place. We still have a chance to finish third but our aim is to finish fourth as the worst case scenario. That's clear.

"I still believe things will turn for the better and our season will be successful.

"Everybody has been doing their best to change the situation. But what happens in training we are not able to take into competitive games. People can hardly say we're not putting in enough effort.''

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Prediction: Chelsea win 2-1

West Brom has scored nine goals in their last two league matches but Chelsea will be one of their better opponents of late and have a motivated squad looking to build some winning momentum.

Chelsea is too good of a squad to disappoint for two consecutive matches, especially when the fate of their manager's future could be at stake.

I expect Juan Mata to dominate the midfield and create some quality scoring chances for his teammates that will result in enough scoring for the Blues to take all three points.