Chelsea welcome West Bromwich Albion to Stamford Bridge this Saturday after an international break that saw key players such as John Terry, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa rested.
They come in to this game off the back of a 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield, and will hope to pick up another three points in order to end the voodoo of November that has been experienced in previous seasons. Should they get through November without defeat, Chelsea could be on course to beat their record points total. They are 6/1 with 888sport to get 96-100 points.
Gary Cahill was one of the standout performers at Anfield, making vital blocks, interceptions and tackles. The centre back added two blocks to his tally against Liverpool, bringing his total for the season to eleven, meaning he has averaged exactly one per game so far this season. Cahill ranks 9th in the Premier League for number of blocks, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Nemanja Matic picked up the man of the match award however, and with good reason. The midfield enforcer made four successful tackles and three interceptions, meaning he has now made the joint fifth most tackles in the Premier League (39) and fifth most interceptions (21), according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Ramires made his return to action against Liverpool, and the energetic midfielder has an incredible record in terms of assists this season. Having played a total of 279 minutes, he has recorded three assists, averaging out at an assist every for every 93 minutes of football played.
West Brom lost last time out in a 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle. The Baggies sit mid-table in thirteenth, having picked up thirteen points over the course of the first eleven games. Chelsea represent one of West Brom’s toughest challenges so far this season and they will need to be at the top of their game in order to come away with a result.
The outstanding player for West Brom this season has without doubt been Saido Berahino. His form earned him a call-up to the England squad, but he is yet to make his debut for the international side. Berahino has scored seven goals in eleven games. The forward has 65% of his shots on target, with his 15 shots on target being the fourth best in the Premier League. 30% of Berahino’s shots have ended up in the back of the net, and the youngster is likely to pose the biggest threat to Chelsea on Saturday. He is 21/2 with 888sport to score first.
Craig Gardner returns from suspension against Chelsea this weekend and his manager has called for the same ‘bite’ that saw him suspended. The midfielder has an impressive tackling record this season, winning the joint fifth most in the division (39), alongside his aforementioned opponent, Nemanja Matic.
Chris Brunt has been impressive for West Brom so far this season, and has covered more ground than any of his teammates, ranking himself inside the top twenty in the league too. Brunt has covered a total distance of 114.9km, which averages out at around 10.4km per game. The midfielder’s work rate combined with his technique from both dead ball situations and open play has provided West Brom with an edge this season, and Brunt has laid on 4 assists for his teammates thus far.
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