West Brom (10-11-15, 41 Points) has ensured its safety this season, but a lot of players still have question marks hanging over their heads for next season. Monday's match against BPL winner, Chelsea (25-9-2, 84 Points) could be telling for many involved even though there is nothing in the standings to play for.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Chelsea has earned the right to be favored in just about every match it plays in, especially against teams with no right to be on the same pitch.
The Blues are even money favorites at +100 on the moneyline and on the Asian handicap, but many will feel that +0.5 (-120) will be too good to pass up on Tony Pulis' side on Monday.
The total is average by EPL standards at 2.5 (under -127).
KEY INJURIES
It isn't so much injuries for the Blues as it is who Jose Mourinho wants to take a look at in these last two matches. John Terry hasn't missed a single minute of Premier League action, but he could be sitting out, as could Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard. We know that Petr Cech won't play in this match, as he is recovering from a minor injury and has completely fallen out of favor with Mou.
West Brom will be without keeper Ben Foster, who has been out for the entire run-in.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I hope this is just the beginning of a big career. We have a great generation of young players. It's not just Ruben. We have a minimum of five, six players who can be in our squad, and it is great for the manager to give them a chance to play." – Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic on Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who made his debut with the senior squad for the Blues at just 19-years old last week
RECENT FORM
Chelsea still hasn't lost a match since that Bradford City debacle, but its 1-1 draw against Liverpool was nothing special last week. Sure, John Terry scored, but the Reds always felt like they had the match under at least a little bit of control against a very young Chelsea side.
The results have been actually very strong for West Brom here at the end of the season. The team has taken at least one point from four straight matches, going 2-2-0 against Newcastle, Manchester United, Liverpool and Crystal Palace, and three of the four matches were away from The Hawthorns.
TALKING TOTALS
It isn't surprising that the Blues played close to the vest against Liverpool last weekend. That marked the fifth under performance in Chelsea's last six games, making it very difficult to ultimately back the over in any circumstance.
Pulis' defense was much criticized in the middle of April after allowing three goals to Man City, four to QPR and three to Leicester City, but since that point, just one goal has snuck into the back of the Baggies' net in four games.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
There's still a lot of questions here for West Brom. The team has not won the possession battle with regularity in the Premier League, and this figures to be another game where Pulis' men are on the back foot.
Saido Berahino and Craig Dawson are both in really good form, but there are times when both just disappear in this offense.
Chelsea might be young, but it is young and full of exuberance at this point. Albion just doesn't have the depth to keep up in this match.
You can set your calendar to it week in and week out. 1-0 Chelsea in a match where the Blues do just enough to get the three points.
Chelsea 1, West Brom 0
The Barclays Premier League lines for this contest were first released by BookMaker Sportsbook with Chelsea lined as a +100 moneyline favorite and a total of 2.5 (under -127). Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, spreads and totals. Live betting is open during every step of this match!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The fixture between Chelsea and West Brom is scheduled for Monday, May 17, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. ET at The Hawthorns. The match will be televised live on NBC Sports Network.
