How West Bromwich Albion could line up against Chelsea

By Matt Law | 01 Apr 2021 14:14, Last updated: 04 Jun 2025 23:31

How West Brom could line up against Chelsea

West Bromwich Albion will continue their fight to escape the Premier League relegation zone on Saturday when they travel to Stamford Bridge to take on fourth-placed Chelsea.

The Baggies, who are currently 19th in the table, 10 points from the safety of 17th position, will be unable to call upon on-loan Conor Gallagher this weekend, with the midfielder ineligible against his parent club.

Head coach Sam Allardyce otherwise has a full squad to choose from, and there are not expected to be many surprises in the starting XI on Saturday afternoon.

Gallagher's place alongside Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Okay Yokuslu could be taken by Jake Livermore, although Romaine Sawyers is another option in the middle of the park.

Hal Robson-Kanu had been a doubt after being sent home early from Wales duty for breaking a curfew in their hotel, but the attacker was back in training on Thursday after returning a negative coronavirus test.

Robert Snodgrass, Grady Diangana and Karlan Grant are also options for change, but Allardyce is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his back line for the trip to Stamford Bridge.

As a result, Semi Ajayi might have to accept a spot on the bench once again, with Dara O'Shea lining up alongside Kyle Bartley in the middle of the defence.

Matheus Pereira has produced five goals and three assists in 25 Premier League appearances this season, and the 24-year-old will again feature in the final third of the field.

West Brom possible starting lineup: Johnstone; Furlong, O'Shea, Bartley, Townsend; Phillips, Livermore, Yokuslu, Maitland-Niles, Pereira; Diagne

> Click here to see how Chelsea could line up for this contest