If Chelsea has any hope of making it back to the Champions League, they need to win their last four games. The Blues currently sit five points back of Tottenham for England’s last Champions League spot, and anything other than victories the rest of the way would probably kill their chance of finishing fourth in the table.
Swansea City is on the other end of the table. The Swans are trying to avoid relegation and are only four points clear of Southampton and Stoke City with four games to play. Southampton has a very winnable home game against Bournemouth this week. A loss for Swansea could put the club only a point up on the Saints.
Don't miss the English Premier League action from Liberty Stadium in Swansea at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 28, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on NBCSN.
EPL Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Chelsea -196
Swansea City +591
Draw +310
Over/Under 2 and 2.5
Odds Analysis
In mid-April, Chelsea looked entirely out of the race for a spot in the Champions League spot. The Blues were 10 points back of Spurs with six games to play, and they seemed consigned to their fate.
However, Tottenham drew with Brighton and Hove and lost to Manchester City to open the door for Chelsea. The Blues responded with narrow road wins over Southampton and Burnley, erasing a two-goal deficit with just 20 minutes to go in the former. That has given Chelsea some added resolve over the final few matches.
Swansea has been unable to pull completely away from the relegation zone. The Swans are winless over their last five Premier League matches. Fortunately, both Southampton and Stoke City are also winless over their last five leading to Swansea actually widening the gap a bit because of the club’s three draws.
Both clubs from Manchester have rocked Swansea recently, but the Swans secured draws against Huddersfield Town, West Brom, and Everton. They have been relying heavily on their defense down the stretch.
Key Injuries
Chelsea is still without the services of Ethan Ampadu and Danny Drinkwater. Ampadu is lost for the season, but there is still a chance that Drinkwater will recover from a nagging calf injury. The Blues are hopeful that defender David Luiz will be able to make his long-awaited return here. Luiz has been out for three months with a knee injury.
The Swans have two long-term injuries in Leroy Fer and Wilfried Bony. Both players will not play again this season. Swansea is holding out hope that Renato Sanches can eventually return t action, but he will not be playing against Chelsea on Saturday.
There is more optimism surrounding Frederico Fernandez and Luciano Narsingh. Fernandez is considered doubtful to play, while Narsingh is considered probable.
Player to Watch
Swansea has been hard-pressed to score goals this season. The Swans have only found the back of the net twice in their last five games and are tied with Huddersfield for the fewest goals in the Premier League all year at 27.
That puts the pressure on Jordan Ayew. Ayew leads the team with seven goals on the season and is one of the few players having a decent year for the club. He scored a nice goal in the 1-1 draw with Everton and has proven to have a goal scorer’s touch. He has great chemistry with his brother Andre Ayew, and that has provided the team with a bit of a spark since Andre came over from West Ham in February.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
There will be an interesting dynamic at play here. Chelsea is desperate for a win, while Swansea are desperate for points of any kind. Both teams are going to press depending on the situation, but in the end I see Chelsea scoring late to get a crucial three points.
English Premier League Odds: Chelsea 2, Swansea City 1
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