After three away games on the spin and an international break, Chelsea will play at Stamford Bridge for the first time since the 5th of November when they face Swansea on Wednesday night. The visitors come into the game without a win in their last five league games and currently sit in the relegation zone. Former Chelsea coach Paul Clement is coming under increasing pressure for his side’s poor form and will be desperate for a result on his return to Stamford Bridge.
Team News
After making the squad last Saturday against Liverpool, it’s likely that Victor Moses will feature at some point during the evening. He’s been out with a hamstring injury since September.
Antonio Conte confirmed on Tuesday that David Luiz would miss the match because of a knee injury so Andreas Christensen will continue at the centre of the back three. Michy Batshuayi has not fully recovered from an ankle injury he picked up on international duty with Belgium so Alvaro Morata will continue as the squad’s only recognised striker.
Swansea’s top scorer Tammy Abraham is ineligible because he can’t play against his parent club so Wilfried Bony is expected to start up front. Swansea captain Federico Fernandez has been given time off by the club after the death of his father last week so Mike Van Der Hoorn is expected to replace him.
Key Battles
With Cesc Fabregas expected to return to the starting line-up, the likes of Renato Sanches and Roque Mesa will have a job on their hands trying to contain him. It will also be interesting if Sanches is selected to combat N’Golo Kante in midfield. The Portuguese midfielder hasn’t really shone since his arrival from Bayern in the summer and this could be the game to prove his worth.
Should Swansea elect to play with two strikers, as they did in their lasting outing against Bournemouth, Chelsea’s wing-backs will find a vast amount of space out wide so the Swansea midfielders will have to be extra careful when bombing forward.
If the Swans are going to keep a clean sheet, they’re going to have to keep Alvaro Morata and Eden Hazard very quiet so expect these two players to receive some special treatment from the likes of Van Der Hoorn and Alfie Mawson.
Chelsea’s record against Swansea
The Blues have never lost to Swansea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League (P6 W5 D1 L0) and have scored two goals in five out of the six matches.
Before his farcical departure last summer, Diego Costa had scored eight goals in five games against Wednesday’s opponents so those goals are going to need to be replaced.
The last time Swanesa won at Stamford Bridge was back in 2013 where goals from Michu and Danny Graham sealed a 2-0 win in a Capitol One Cup tie.
Antonio Conte’s men will be looking to gain some ground on Manchester City over the next month and a win against Swansea on Wednesday night would be the perfect way to start a series of kind fixtures.