Chelsea FC are getting more of their new summer signings fully match fit and integrated into the team. There are still a couple, however, who are not quite ready yet. Now that manager Frank Lampard has met the media, let’s take a look at the team news, for both sides, as Chelsea visit West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
Chelsea FC at West Bromwich Albion FYIs
Kickoff: 5:30 pm BST Saturday Sept 26, The Hawthorns
Chelsea FC starting XI Prediction: go here
Odds: West Brom win (+750), Chelsea win (-280), the draw (+400)
Christian Pulisic (hamstring) and Hakim Ziyech (knee) have both recovered from their respective injuries, and they are back in full training. They won’t feature here however, as they are still a week or two away from being match fit. Manager Frank Lampard has confirmed that Pulisic is working with a specialist on a training program.
Confirmed out is central defender Andrea Christensen (suspension) and newly acquired goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Lampard said that Mendy had ‘a busy week’ and wasn’t involved enough in training because of it, so that means we’ll likely see Willy Caballero in goal on Saturday. Ben Chilwell should feature, but may not be ready for a full 90 minutes, according to what Lampard said earlier today.
Finally, central defender Cesar Azpilicueta is a doubt due to a thigh problem. Flipping over to the baggies, Ahmed Hegazi (thigh), Kamil Grosicki (back) and Hal Robson-Kanu are all a doubt while Kieran Gibbs (suspension) and Conor Gallagher (loan rules) are ineligible to feature here.
Finally, Kenneth Zohore (calf) is out of this one due to injury.
For Chelsea, new summer signing Thiago Silva featured and impressed in the mid-week demolishing of Barnsley Town in the Carabao Cup. Now we’ll see his first Premier League appearance this week.
“It is exciting for us because he has had just over a week training with us. It was a perfect 60 minutes for him tonight,” Lampard said of the former Paris Saint-Germain centre back on Wednesday night.
“He will show the qualities he has. Of course, he will get fitter and better. He also gave us something for me on the night in the dressing room and on the pitch of a leader with authority in terms of his demands on others.”
“He can’t speak the language but at the minute that’s not even a problem because his presence and the way he commands people around him is already showing that to me in training and in our game tonight.”
Prediction: Chelsea FC 3, West Bromwich Albion 1
Taking on a side that sits dead last in the table, with a 2-7 goal differential on the very young season, and Chelsea should cruise.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.