West Brom vs. Chelsea: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Victory at the Hawthorns on Friday would be enough to see Chelsea clinch their second Premier League title in three seasons, as West Bromwich Albion attempt to halt the leaders in their bid for silverware.
The west Londoners will seal the championship if they can muster a fourth win in succession and increase their lead to an insurmountable 10 points over Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has closed within inches of winning the league crown in his first season at Stamford Bridge, giving some indication of what's to come for the Blues under his tutelage.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Having not so long ago held a reputation as difficult hosts to beat, West Brom have been weak at home of late, however, and are vulnerable after losing their last three games at the Hawthorns.
Read on for a preview of Friday's potential title-clincher, complete with all the essential viewing information, team news and fixture details.
Date: Friday, May 12
Time: 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET
Venue: The Hawthorns, West Bromwich
Live Stream: Sky Go app (UK), NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.)
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (UK), NBC Sports Network (U.S.)
| Burnley 2-2 West Brom | Chelsea 3-0 Middlesbrough |
| West Brom 0-1 Leicester City | Everton 0-3 Chelsea |
| West Brom 0-1 Liverpool | Chelsea 4-2 Southampton |
| West Brom 0-1 Southampton | Chelsea 4-2 Tottenham Hotspur |
| Watford 2-0 West Brom | Manchester United 2-0 Chelsea |
Team News
Chelsea hardly looked as though they were missing midfield engine N'Golo Kante en route to a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough on Monday, and it looks as though the Frenchman will be available in time for Friday.
After being a surprise absentee for the win over Boro, Kante should have shrugged off any niggling concerns to feature at the Hawthorns, per injury analyst Ben Dinnery:
Elsewhere, West Brom manager Tony Pulis is sweating on the fitness of two crucial attacking components, Matt Phillips and Hal Robson-Kanu, leading up to Friday's showdown.
However, Physio Room recently provided an update on their respective hamstring injuries and gave the duo a lifeline in their hopes of featuring against the league leaders:
Centre-back Jonny Evans is the other doubt after he was forced off during the 2-2 draw against Burnley last Saturday with an ankle knock, and Pulis recently suggested he may risk his star's fitness, per the Birmingham Mail's Joseph Chapman:
"It's a massive game next Friday against would-be champions, so we need Jonny fit. He's a top player at this level so hopefully we can get him patched up and get him playing against Chelsea. We looked at him at half-time, he wanted to give it a couple of minutes. He was disappointed being brought off so that shows his character."
Preview
Although Chelsea travel to the West Midlands on Friday knowing three points will seal a fifth Premier League trophy for the club, they will also recognise that the Hawthorns can be a tricky venue to take points from.
One man on a mission to make his mark by clinching his second English league crown is striker Diego Costa, who told South American broadcaster DIRECTVsports (h/t Mirror's John Cross) he wants silverware to prove his doubters wrong:
"I am very happy. I know that people here, they are always hitting me so much. But what I am saying is people here in London, the press, they are always looking for something, speculating. Saying that I am leaving, but I am scoring goals, we are on top of the league, we can be champions.
"In three years in Chelsea I can be champion twice which is not a little thing. I hope we can win the league and enjoy and the critics have to be sorry."
It was Costa who made the breakthrough in Monday evening's 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough, and with three goals in his last three games, the Spain international is on the prowl for more.
Meanwhile, Conte will be only too aware of the set-piece threat offered by West Brom after Pulis turned his side into dead-ball specialists this term, per Sky Sports Statto:
That being said, the Baggies have lost their last three home matches in succession, each by a 1-0 scoreline, suggesting there is a lack of attacking rhythm for the hosts in front of their own fans.
It's difficult to see past a motivated Chelsea team riding their wave of momentum all the way to the title on Friday, but a resolute West Brom can still offer the slenderest of lifelines to second-placed Spurs.
