Chelsea vs. West Brom: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
Chelsea will attempt to continue their unbeaten Premier League season when they host West Brom on Saturday with the Baggies hoping to bounce back from their 2-0 loss to Newcastle last time out.
The Blues have a perfect record at Stamford Bridge so far this term with five wins from five, and boss Jose Mourinho will be expecting nothing less than three points from his team.
However, West Brom seemed to have the measure of Chelsea last season in their two Premier League meetings, and Alan Irvine's side have the quality to take something away from west London.
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Read on for a full preview of Saturday's encounter as well as all the scheduling, television and live streaming details.
Date: Saturday, Nov. 22
Time: 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET
TV Info: NBCSN (US only)
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Preview
Almost exactly a year ago, West Brom were incredibly unlucky to leave Stamford Bridge with just a single point after a stoppage-time Eden Hazard penalty gave Chelsea a controversial 2-2 draw, per Eurosport:
Irvine is likely to draw on this experience as he prepares his players to take on the league leaders as the West Midlands outfit have proven they have what it takes to compete with the Blues.
Although Chelsea are a better team this term after astute summer additions, West Brom have their own star in the shape of Saido Berahino who has seven league goals so far this season, per WhoScored.com.
The Baggies have already beaten Tottenham away and held Manchester United to a draw, but a point or better against Chelsea would be their best result of the season.
They will need to be very well organised in defence, and Irvine will no doubt pack his midfield in an attempt to wrestle some control in the centre of the pitch.
Only Southampton have conceded fewer goals away from home than West Brom this season, per ESPN FC, and if they can restrict the Blues' opportunities, an upset could be on the cards.
In Berahino, Stephane Sessegnon and Chris Brunt, they have the creativity to cause Chelsea's defence some problems—as they did to United, per B/R UK's Sam Tighe—but it is a tough ask:
The Baggies will be up against the best team in the league and will likely face a fresh Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas, who both sat out of international duty with Spain during the break, per Football Talk.
Costa has 10 league goals and Fabregas nine assists this season, per WhoScored, and along with Hazard and Oscar, they make up a daunting attacking force.
Furthermore, West Brom were effective in attack against a weak Red Devils defence, but on Saturday they come up against the infinitely more difficult likes of Nemanja Matic, John Terry and Gary Cahill.
The atmosphere may also be an issue for the visitors as a response is expected to Mourinho's recent criticisms of his home fans.
Saturday is Chelsea's first home game since Mourinho likened Stamford Bridge to "playing in an empty stadium" as the Blues beat Queens Park Rangers on Nov. 1, and Chelsea Supporters' Trust chairman Tim Rolls is expecting a response, per Press Association Sport (h/t Matt McGeehan in the Independent):
"He [Mourinho] is very, very popular with the fans; I would expect people would respond to it. I would anticipate at the start of the game he'll get a big cheer, they'll chant his name and there will be lots of chanting. I would expect a good atmosphere on Saturday.
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While most will expect an easy Chelsea win on Saturday, West Brom have the endeavour and the organisation to frustrate the Blues and could take something from the encounter.
However, Chelsea's desire to maintain—or extend—their four-point lead at the top of the table should give them the motivation to pick up the three points, and based on their season thus far, it would be foolish to bet against them.
