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Chelsea vs West Brom: Three things to look for in return to action

By Gabe Henderson

Chelsea's Brazilian defender Thiago Silva (C) gestures during the English Premier League football match between West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea at The Hawthorns stadium in West Bromwich, central England, on September 26, 2020. (Photo by Catherine Ivill / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by CATHERINE IVILL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea's Brazilian defender Thiago Silva (C) gestures during the English Premier League football match between West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea at The Hawthorns stadium in West Bromwich, central England, on September 26, 2020. (Photo by Catherine Ivill / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by CATHERINE IVILL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Chelsea’s Moroccan midfielder Hakim Ziyech celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg football match between Chelsea and Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge in London on March 17, 2021. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP) (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s Moroccan midfielder Hakim Ziyech celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg football match between Chelsea and Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge in London on March 17, 2021. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP) (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images) /

The Premier League is finally back. Chelsea has returned to training as the international break comes to a close. The Blues will now turn their attention to Sam Allardyce’s West Bromwich Albion as the relegation battling club prepares for a trip to Stamford Bridge on Saturday morning. This contest kicks off not only the home stretch of the season, but also a period containing some of Chelsea’s most important matches to date.

The Blues may have their eyes on the Champions League quarterfinals or FA Cup semifinals, they cannot overlook West Brom though. The last time these two sides met, Frank Lampard’s side overcame a massive halftime deficit to salvage a point at The Hawthorns. This cannot be the case in the reverse fixture as every point is now crucial to the top four race.

Here are three things to look for in Chelsea’s game against West Brom:

1. Fireworks

As briefly touched on above, the last meeting between these two clubs produced an early season thriller. West Brom took a 3-0 lead into halftime before Mason Mount and Co. stormed back to earn a draw in the dying moments of the match. The six-goal stunner produced some electrifying moments for even the neutral spectators, it had fans on the edge of their seats from start to finish.

Unfortunately for the aforementioned neutrals, this game won’t have as many fireworks. West Brom has scored just three goals since the beginning of February, with that lack of a lethal finisher playing a huge part in their league standing. The Baggies have just two wins from their last 20 and they have failed to score more than one goal in all but three of those games. On the other side of things, the Blues have yet to score more than two goals in a match under Thomas Tuchel. Chelsea has come up against opponents like Newcastle, Sheffield United and Barnsley in that span, so one would’ve expected the European giants to rattle the back of the net on more than two occasions numerous times already.

Neither side scores many goals and given the defensive stability of the home side, it’ll be even harder for West Brom to produce anything offensively. Due to the fact the Baggies will have to throw more bodies forward than usual, this could finally be the game where the Blues pile on the goals. But don’t hold your breath. Luckily for the neutral spectators, this is the weekend’s earliest match, so nobody would blame them for sleeping straight through this one.

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