We're going to find out in the next few weeks whether Chelsea is legitimately going to go on a nice run in the second half.
The Blues should theoretically start with three points against West Brom, but we've seen them punt worse matches here at Stamford Bridge.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Chelsea -275
West Brom +920
Draw +375
Over/Under 2.5 (over -115)
ODDS ANALYSIS
No matter how bad Chelsea seems to slip, it always seems to be favored by tremendous margins against these teams which have no real chance for much of anything save for maybe a middle of the table finish. In this case, we've got a WBA team which enters the second half of the season in 12th position. However, we should note that that's two spots and three points ahead of Chelsea.
The Blues are -275 on the moneyline and are comfortably lined at -1.5 on the Asian Handicap at home.
Because of their offensive struggles though, the total is just a bit lower at 2.5 than you might figure with a spread this high.
KEY INJURIES
Chelsea has a ton of problems right now up front. Eden Hazard is out for at least the next week with a groin injury, and Diego Costa was dinged up in the match against Scunthorpe in the FA Cup as well. What does that leave up front? Only Guus Hiddink knows the answer to that at this point.
WBA should have a clean bill of health coming into this game. Victor Anichebe and Jonas Olsson are the only concerns at this point, and they're both considered probable to get back in the fold after sitting out of the FA Cup third round duel against Bristol City.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"For me the next step is very important. That's why after a win against a very difficult team as Crystal Palace are, you have to follow up. In the upcoming games, we have to show what we're capable of." – Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink on the Blues starting the second half of their season
RECENT FORM
Have things started to turn around for Chelsea just a bit? A 2-0 win over Scunthorpe in the FA Cup wasn't the most notable result in the world, but a win was a win for sure, just as the 3-0 victory was at Crystal Palace was on January 3. That's three straight good results for the Blues, the first of which was a scoreless draw at Manchester United, and we'll see if that carries forward here into the middle of January.
West Brom has had two straight good results in the EPL as well. The Baggies beat Stoke City in stoppage time on January 2, but they followed that up with a 2-2 draw against lowly Bristol City in the third round of the FA Cup. That said, Albion has two straight matches with stoppage time goals, and we've seen Chelsea give up its share of late shows this year.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Chelsea's lack of strikers is really bothersome to us right now. We're just not sure what the Blues are going to do up front. Instead, they're probably going to play with mostly midfielders making plays going forward like Manchester City did for over a month last year when Sergio Aguero was out.
Hiddink is very likely going to push for an early one to put the Baggies down early, but that might be all we end up seeing. Chelsea is playing too well in defense right now, and though West Brom has been able to create some magic late on, but Tony Pulis' side really isn't as nearly strong of form as it seems.
Chelsea 1, West Brom 0
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Click here and start wagering today! The fixture between Chelsea and West Brom will take place on Wednesday, January 13, 2016, at 2:45 p.m. at Stamford Bridge. The game will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Live Extra.
