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West Brom logo
Premier League
May 18, 2015 at 8pm UK
 
Chelsea logo

3-0

Berahino (9', 47' pen.), Brunt (60')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Preview: West Bromwich Albion vs. Chelsea

Sports Mole looks ahead to the Premier League clash between West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea at The Hawthorns.

Chelsea have already wrapped up the Premier League title, but they will be looking to maintain their long unbeaten run when they visit West Bromwich Albion.

The Baggies are also in good form and a positive run of results in the past month has helped them to secure their place in the top flight for another season.



West Brom

Manager Tony Pulis of West Brom gives direction during the Barclays Premier League match between Burnley and West Bromwich Albion at Turf Moor on February 8, 2015© Getty Images

It has not been an easy campaign for West Brom, but in the past month they have managed to secure their Premier League status for the fifth consecutive season and it has gone a long way to ending their long-standing reputation as a yo-yo club.

There were real fears that they would be involved in a relegation scrap and a poor run of form in the opening months of the season saw them edge closer towards the bottom three.

A 2-0 defeat against Stoke City at the end of December left them just one point above the relegation zone and saw Alan Irvine sacked after just seven months in charge.

Tony Pulis was brought in to steer the club to safety and the former Crystal Palace boss managed to stop their downward spiral and helped to bring the feel-good factor back to The Hawthorns.

They did suffer a slight blip in March, when they were dumped out of the FA Cup and went on to lose three league games in a row, but since a 3-2 defeat to Leicester City, they have managed to put together a four-match unbeaten run.

The most impressive of their recent results was a surprise 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford that finally saw them reach the 40-point mark.

Last weekend's 1-1 draw at Newcastle United continued their fine streak and if they manage to stun Chelsea and Arsenal in their final two matches, then they could well finish in 11th place.

Much of their success has come from an organised defence and they have conceded just one goal in their past four games, which further underlines the sense of discipline and stability that Pulis has instilled since his arrival.

Recent form: LLWDWD



Chelsea

Chelsea's Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho celebrates with the trophy during the presentation after Chelsea won the League Cup final football match against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on March 1, 2015© Getty Images

Chelsea may have already won the Premier League title, but Jose Mourinho will not allow his players to rest easy in their final two games of the season.

The Blues are still able to reach the 90-point mark, which has only been achieved by six teams, and only victories against West Brom and Sunderland will be enough.

They may have been accused of being boring this season, but there can be no question that the club have deserved to lift the trophy and they have only lost twice this season.

A 5-3 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on New Years' Day was the last time that they were beaten and since then they have racked up a 16-game unbeaten run in the league.

It has not all gone to plan for Mourinho's side, with an infamous 4-2 defeat against Bradford City in the FA Cup and their exit to Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League providing rare blips in an otherwise outstanding season.

Despite those setbacks, they have looked a class above their opponents in the league and with the likes of Eden Hazard set to improve even further, there is every chance that they will be able to defend their trophy next season and challenge for honours in Europe.

Recent form: WWDWWD



Team News

Chelsea's English midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek (L) prepares to challenge Liverpool's Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho (R) during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in London on May 10, 2015© Getty Images

Goalkeeper Ben Foster is the only absentee for West Brom, so Boaz Myhill will keep his place in between the sticks.

Victor Anichebe may keep his spot up front after scoring last weekend, with Saido Berahino once again forced to sit on the bench.

Meanwhile, Diego Costa could return from a hamstring problem, but he is not expected to play from the start.

Kurt Zouma injured his knee in last weekend's draw with Liverpool and will not play again this season, while Brazilian duo Ramires and Oscar are also ruled out for the rest of the campaign.

Their absence means that youngster Ruben Loftus-Cheek could be handed another start, while fellow academy graduates Izzy Brown and Nathan Ake are expected to play some part at The Hawthorns.

West Brom possible starting lineup:
Myhill, Dawson, McAuley, Lescott, Brunt, Gardner, Mulumbu, Yacob, Fletcher, Morrison, Anichebe

Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Courtois, Azpilicueta, Terry, Cahill, Luis, Matic, Loftus-Cheek, Willian, Fabregas, Hazard, Remy



Head To Head

Costa and Hazard were both on the scoresheet as Chelsea eased to a 2-0 victory over West Brom earlier this season, in a match that saw Claudio Yacob shown a red card in the first half.

It extended Chelsea's unbeaten run against the Baggies to four matches, although two of those fixtures have ended in draws.

However, Albion have only managed to win two of the previous 27 games between the teams, with both of those victories coming in 2012.



Video Preview

Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:



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We say: West Brom 0-2 Chelsea

West Brom may be in good form at the moment, but it is nothing compared to the run that Chelsea are on. The Blues have looked unbeatable for most of the season and we think that they will be able to chalk up another victory on their way to the 90-point mark.



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Written by
Alex Meyers
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Chelsea players celebrate after the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge in London on May 3, 2015
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