Chelsea vs. Huddersfield Town: Odds, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Chelsea's Premier League campaign is in trouble after a shock 4-0 defeat at Bournemouthย on Wednesday, and the Blues are next set for action against Huddersfield Town at home on Saturday.
The Blues have lost their last two league games without scoring, but the Terriers are the bottom side in the division and are 12 points from safety.
Chelsea head coachย Maurizio Sarri has recruited loan signingย Gonzalo Higuain to bolster his failing attack, but the Argentina international is a doubt for the next game.
The west London side are desperate for three points and will not want to miss out on UEFA Champions League qualification for a second consecutive season.
Date: Saturday, Feb. 2
Time: 3 p.m. (GMT), 10 a.m. (ET)
Odds: Chelsea: 1-5, Huddersfield: 14-1, draw: 11-2
Live Stream:ย NBC Sports Liveย (U.S.),ย fuboTVย (U.S.)
TV: NBC Sports Live (U.S.)
Odds according toย OddsShark
Preview
After a flying start under Sarri, the wheels have come off Chelsea's season in double-quick time.
The Italian has declared he cannot motivate his players, and with a busy programme facing the Blues in the weeks ahead, doubt has crept into the team's performances.
After the defeat against the Cherries, Sarri said he has to find solutions quickly, perย Sky Sports:
"Maybe it's my fault because maybe I'm not able to motivate this group and these players. I don't know why. But I need to understand and we need to understand very soon because we have to play in three days.
"We are doing something wrong with our mentality, of course. We need to understand why and we need to react to the difficulty. For me it's really difficult to understand why. I'm trying to do it, and I will try to do it tomorrow but it's not easy."
The visit of the Terriers is, arguably, the best-case scenario for the Blues, with the bottom club conceding 41 goals in 24 games.
Chelsea are suffering a personality crisis in attack, but the visitors' lack of potency should allow Sarri's men to stream forward with freedom.
Huddersfield will hope new head coach Jan Siewert has an immediate impact after his arrival from Borussia Dortmund's coaching team.
At the age of 36, the German should bring a fresh approach and optimism, and heย has said he's identified weaknesses in Chelsea ahead of the game.
Per PA Sport (viaย Sky Sports),ย Siewert said: "I saw some situations in which they were vulnerable [against Bournemouth], but to be honest it will be a totally different game. I know Maurizio Sarri is a fantastic manager and we have to face everything which they give us."
Keeping Huddersfield up will be a tall task forย Siewert, as his team are lacking the dynamic talent needed to win games in the top tier.
After only two victories during the whole Premier League campaign, the thought of gaining points against an elite side is difficult to imagine.
However, Chelsea's current form is poor, and the players are struggling to produce the football Sarri demands.
Higuain should help matters in the weeks ahead, but the striker cannot be considered the only solution after a disappointing spell at AC Milan.
The onus remains on Eden Hazard to lead the team to a respectable finish, otherwise Sarri's reign could come to a premature conclusion.
Where to watch: World football matches and related coverage are available throughย fuboTV.
