Chelsea vs. West Bromwich Albion Preview: Lineups & Predictions

Chelsea FC are looking for their first win of the season after enduring a stalemate last week against a physical Stoke City side. Andre Villas-Boas has called upon his side to win consecutive home games starting with their clash against the Baggies and their next opponent, promoted side Norwich City, next week.

Chelsea looked like they were ready to get back to their winning ways in the second half of last week's match and they hope to finally bag some goals on Saturday in front of the Stamford Bridge faithful.

West Bromwich Albion suffered a rough loss last week after almost earning a point against champions Manchester United. WBA's newest acquisition, Shane Long, netted a goal in his debut, but West Brom failed to secure any points after a Steven Reid own goal, giving the Red Devils all three points.

However, the West Midlands side certainly looked competitive and showed that they can prove a challenge to the big boys of the Premier League.

Lineups

Chelsea Possible Starting XI

GK: Henrique Hilario will most likely get the start ahead of Ross Turnbull after Petr Cech suffered a knee injury earlier in the week.

RB: Jose Bosingwa will get the start after proving to be an attacking threat last week against Stoke. However, Branislav Ivanovic is back from injury and may get the nod if Villas-Boas believes that the Serbian is match fit.

CB: John Terry and Alex will provide the backbone of the Chelsea defense as they did last week. Brazilian David Luiz is still recuperating from some minor injuries and will not be able to compete this week.

LB: The always dangerous Ashley Cole will provide assistance towards the left flank.

CDM: Although John Obi Mikel has made himself available for selection and is expected to start, his head may not be in the game as the Nigerian's father has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom (see The Guardian article for more details). Villas-Boas may give the spot to the Brazilian engine Ramires instead.

RCM: If Mikel does get the start, expect to see box-to-box player Ramires take up a position on the right side of central midfield. However, if Mikel does not play and Ramires takes the central defensive role, Yossi Benayoun will surely take this spot.

LCM: Besides a penalty appeal, Chelsea veteran Frank Lampard was a bit of a non-factor in last week's game against Stoke, but he is hoping for a better start this time around.

RW: Salomon Kalou did not play to his full potential last week and since Daniel Sturridge is still out on suspension, Nicolas Anelka will start on the right flank.

LW: Florent Malouda was a lot like Lampard last week; he did not prove to be his normal dangerous self. The Frenchman will want to prove himself in front of his new coach.

CF: He may not have scored a goal, but definitely expect Fernando Torres to get the start. He proved a constant danger in and around the box. If he does not perform well, expect to see talismanic striker Didier Drogba come into the game.

West Bromwich Albion Possible Starting XI

GK: Ben Foster will be between the sticks and hoping to keep the Blues out of goal like he did last year whilst playing for Birmingham City.

RB: Steven Reid scored an own goal last week and will want to do anything besides emulate his form from last week.

CB: Gabriel Tamas and Jonas Olsson will be the defending duo and will want to make sure that Torres does not find his form.

LB: Nicky Shorey will try to keep Nicolas Anelka quiet on the left side of defense.

RM: James Morrison will attempt to be a threat towards Ashley Cole.

CM's: Youssef Mulumbu and Paul Scharner will try to settle the pace of the game for the Baggies in the middle of the field.

LM: Captain Chris Brunt hopes to inspire his team to at least a point as he surges down the left side.

ST's: Shane Long will want to continue scoring for his new team and Somen Tchoyi will want to assist the former Reading man since Peter Odemwingie is still out with an injury. Long and Tchoyi will look to cause all sorts of headaches for the Blues' back four.

Prediction

The Blues seemed quite strong at the end of last week's game and look like they will continue to show that form against Roy Hodgson's boys. The West London outfit are going to show the EPL why they are contenders and Fernando Torres will prove that he is no fluke.

The Baggies lost out on points last week and will want to avoid digging themselves a hole, so they might decide to play it safe and attempt to salvage a point. But if they see a chance to run at the Blues, they will take their chances.

Final Scoreline

Chelsea 3-1 West Bromwich Albion.

Look for Fernando Torres to score his first goal of the season and be the man of the match while the Blues crush a somewhat tough West Brom team.

Also, Chelsea fans may get to see Romelu Lukaku make his debut for the team if the Blues have a commanding lead towards the end of the match. West Brom fans will be happy to rid themselves of two difficult fixtures at the beginning of the season, and Shane Long will possibly grab a consolation goal for his new side.