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| Costa has been in prime form for the Blues in the ongoing seasonReuters |
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Chelsea host West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, December 11, as Antonio Conte's men look to reclaim their position at the top of the table, having been dislodged by the Gunners following their 3-1 win over Stoke City on Saturday. The Blues are on an eight-game winning run and a win here will equal their best-ever run since 2007.
Kick-off is set for 12pm GMT. Live coverage of the game will be on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 1 HD.
Overview
Chelsea come into the game on the back of a 3-1 thrashing of Manchester City and can go seven points clear of Pep Guardiola's men with a win here, following the Citizens' 4-2 loss to a rejuvenated Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday. They will have Nemanja Matic back in contention after the midfielder missed last weekend's game with a slight calf problem.
The Blues have a good home record against the Baggies, with their last loss coming in 1978. However, they have lost thrice in their last nine league games against Tony Pulis' men, but will back themselves to take all three points in this fixture given the form they are in. Diego Costa has scored 11 goals in the league, jointly with Alexis Sanchez, and can go above the Chilean should he find the net on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Baggies are seventh in the league and can go above Manchester United should the Red Devils lose or draw at home to Tottenham. Pulis is unbeaten in his last four league games against the Blues and would back himself to take at least a point against Conte's men, who have been the most consistent team in the league thus far.
James Morrison and Gareth McAuley are both major doubts for the fixture with injury, while Saido Berahino is still building up match fitness. The trio have not trained this week and will be assessed ahead of the fixture.
What Managers Say
Antonio Conte told the club website: "To win eight games in a row is fantastic because in this league, in every game you have to fight a lot,' said the head coach. 'You can win 2-0 but it is always very difficult to manage the result in England. In other countries, also in Italy, if you are 2-0 up with 20 minutes or 15 minutes to go, it is very difficult to change the result, because you are able to manage the result and tactical points. We must play game by game and if we are able to take three points, it's important. This game will be a physical match because we face a team with a great physical condition and reputation and for this reason it is important to go onto the pitch with the same will to fight."
Tony Pulis told the club website: "This is a tough period full of difficult games – they are really tough games. Chelsea have all the advantages. They have the squad, the stadium, the crowd, they are in great form – all will be against us tomorrow. Everyone will expect them to win. But it's a chance for my boys to puff out their chests, get out there and not be frightened by it. No game is settled before the kick off and we can win. I don't want them thinking they are beaten before we start. This is what we are in the Premier League for. "
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