The extravaganza that is the Premier League is back and the high flying Chelsea travel to Swansea in a bid to extend their winning run and possibly go on top of the League table should the Manchester derby end in a stalemate. The Blues have adapted a refreshing approach under their new manager Antonio Conte and seem to be reaping rich rewards with wins in their opening 3 games. Swansea, on the other hand come into the game on the back of consecutive defeats and will be hoping to use the home advantage to their advantage, in order to eke out a positive result.
Team News
Swansea
Swansea do not have a lot of injury concerns going into the game and are expected to field the same starting line-up that faced Leicester in their last league game. The Swans record signing Borja Baston remains doubtful for the game due to a thigh problem and Spaniard Fernando Llorente is expected to lead the line-up on Sunday with Barrow, Routledge and Sigurdsson ably supporting him in the final third of the pitch.
Expected Line-up
Fabianski, Naughton, Fernandez, Amat, Taylor, Fer, Cork, Barrow, Sigurdsson, Routledge, Llorente.
Chelsea
The signing of David Luiz and Marcos Alonso on the deadline day presents Chelsea manager with a selection issue ahead of the game against Swansea. The manager is expected to resist making the changes to the side’s defence, which has done the job in their games so far. On the other end of the pitch, Diego Costa is expected to lead the line-up, with Michy Batshuayi being restricted to a bit part role.
Expected Line-up
Courtois, Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Kante, Willian, Oscar, Matic, Hazard, Costa.
Key Men
Gylfi Sigurdsson
The Iceman has had a rather underwhelming start to the season and will be hoping to make amends in the game against the Blues. He is expected to start in the number 10 role on Sunday and he will be pivotal to his side’s success against the Conte led unit. In Routledge, Barrow and Llorente, he has colleagues who could inflict some damage on the Chelsea defence and the player will need to ensure that he plays the role of being his side’s attacking lynchpin to perfection.
However, with Kante continuing with his good form at the Stamford Bridge, the Iceland international will have his task cut out and will need to put in a solid performance. He has been known for his ability to thread a defence splitting pass and could cause the likes of John Terry and Gary Cahill a few issues during the game. His abilities with set pieces remain intact and should his fellow Swans draw the Chelsea defence into making fouls in critical areas on the pitch, he could prove deadly. Sigurdssson can create time and space for himself in critical areas and Conte’s men will need to contain him in order for the side to continue with their winning run.
Eden Hazard
The Belgian attacker seems to be buoyed by the appointment of Antonio Conte as the Chelsea manager and has impressed a number of people with his performances so far this season. With 2 goals under his belt already, he is already looking to have renewed his best form and could prove too hot to handle for the Swansea defence.
His ability to beat his man with pace and trickery have already yielded positive results for his side and the former Lille man will be keen to add to the numbers he has already raked in this season. He has completed 17 out of the 23 take-ons he has attempted so far, a statistic that will worry the Swansea right-back Kyle Naughton and will be keen to get behind the Swansea defence to present the likes of Costa, Willian and Oscar with a goal scoring opportunity.
He seems to have renewed his confidence as a player after a tumultuous last season under a new manager and the Chelsea hierarchy will be hoping that he can continue with his performances into the season to ensure that they end the season on a high.
Interesting Facts
- While Swansea hold the upper hand with 5 victories at home compared to Chelsea’s 4 wins, the club has won just 1 of their last 5 league meetings against the West London club.
- While Hazard might be grabbing the headlines with his attacking performances, Willian has been the side’s most creative player so far, having created 8 chances in 3 games.
- On the other hand, Swansea’s most creative player so far has been Wayne Routledge, who has created an incredible 10 chances in 3 games, averaging one every 20 minutes.
Prediction
While Chelsea remain the favourites for the game, especially with their recent performances, Swansea have been renowned for springing a surprise and will make life tough for the visitors on Sunday. However, Chelsea’s quality might prove to be too much for Swansea and we expect the game to go in their favour.
