West Brom have been in town, and y'all understand what that means... Like the young male character in every American sitcom at one time or still another, I've two times to the big school dance. As a not-so-secret baseball bigamist, having my two clubs meet is always an situation. Even worse, the "other woman" gets the tendency to leave the very first with no director. As a person who watches West Brom every week, I have been drafted into protect the critique. All of us know what happens when Chelsea come across the harbingers of managerial doom, and newly-minted bogey team West Bromwich Albion. A manager is lost by us. The final 2 times, we, as supporters, have not actually been seeking the departure of the man responsible. Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto di Matteo, whilst not experiencing the total support they'd in the beginning of the tenures, were still well-liked. This time around, but, we've Rafa Benitez. Many, or even all, are hoping against hope the Albion problem strikes again. While it might have been, probably, a hope before, the Spaniard's incredible surge following the Boro fit has left him hanging by the most precarious of strings. He called out the table and the fans, and, if studies should be believed, has been made fun of by the people for it. He's not in a good position for a one foot out the doorway, scarcely holding on in the battle for a Champions League cabin, and experiencing a rejuvenated West Brom side. Many dangerous, though, is the reception he is certain to get from the home fans at Stamford Bridge. If you thought it had been poor before, you ain't observed nothin' yet. I doubt many minutes, in addition to the 16th, will see the Chelsea supporters singing about other things. All that adds up to a recipe for disaster. Chelsea really need to gain as numerous of their remaining activities because they can to attempt to secure a Champions League place for next year, and on the back foot a loss would put the group strongly. Even though it snapped Benitez' ultimate, fragile thread, and he were replaced, there is no guarantee that we could obtain the ground straight back later, as a result of our more difficult run-in in accordance with our main competitors Tottenham and Arsenal. There's something that may save us in this fit, although. Romelu Lukaku. The young Belgian has been at the heart of the success for West Bromwich Albion for all the season. As he is prohibited, by rule, to play against his parent club, a from Chelsea. Usually, this will see Shane Long selected in as replacement, but the Irishman is definitely an injury doubt. Long and Lukaku have combined for 21 of West Brom's 41 goals this season, so lacking both will be a severe setback for the Midlands part. Should Long not be fit to face Chelsea, the striker part would probably fall to Peter Odemwingie, who was last seen in West London trying to engineer a proceed to Queens Park Rangers on Deadline Day. Though they might well be light entrance, West Brom have got their first-choice midfield couple of Claudio Yacob and Youssouf Mulumbu back an action subsequent damage and the Africa Cup of Nations, respectively. Since their reunite, West Brom have caught their slide in the category with wins over Liverpool and Sunderland, and again seem the strong part which saw them in fourth early in the summer season. Also joining Lukaku, Long, and long-term absentees Zoltan Gera and George Thorne is on-loan opponent Goran Popov, who was simply recently sent off for spitting. Because of these missing participants, Baggies boss Steve Clarke brings with him small forward Romaine Sawyers, and 16-year-old midfielder Isaiah "Izzy" Brown. Neither may actually maintain the squad, but they will soon be travelling with the team. As Stephen told you early in the day, Chelsea's only doubt is the somewhat-unpopular Yossi Benayoun and long-term absentee Oriol Romeu. After resting all of the first XI against Middlesbrough, Chelsea should name a very-strong part, if not their strongest. Whilst the thought of Chelsea's strongest area facing a Brom with striker problems is really a soothing one, it must be remembered that our strongest team hasn't been doing well as a team lately, and that Stamford Bridge will probably be an absolute cauldron of hate against Rafa. In all probability, the environment can influence the players relatively, and I'd not be astonished to see us find it difficult to breakdown a durable Albion defence. Still, though, I'd assume Chelsea to be able to avoid West Brom from winning at the Bridge for the first time since 1978, and from joining three consecutive wins in the group for the first time since 1957. It will be close, though. Maybe this one will not be for you, if you're not a fan of painfully-tense football. Where: Stamford Bridge, London When: Saturday, 2 March 2013, 15:00 GMT [10:00 EST, 20:30 IST] Live TV: US: Fox Baseball Route, Fox Deportes, India: Star Activities Expected Score: Chelsea 2 - 1 West Bromwich Albion Believed Chelsea Lineup: (4-2-3-1) Petr Cech; Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill, David Terry, Ashley Cole; Mark Luiz, David Mikel Obi; Eden Danger, Juan Mata, Oscar; Demba Ba Expected West Bromwich Albion Lineup: (4-2-3-1) Dan Foster; Steven Reid, Gareth McAuley, Jonas Olsson, Liam Ridgewell; Claudio Yacob, Youssouf Mulumbu; Graham Dorrans, James Morrison, Chris Brunt; Peter Odemwingie.
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