Chelsea v Swansea: Can the Blues end their winless run against the Swans?

By: Timothy Dehinbo

Winless in their last three meetings against the Swans, the Blues would be seeking to end that today and also increase their eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League when they host relegation-threatened Swansea City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The Swans have been revived since former Chelsea coach Paul Clement took over as head coach, winning at Liverpool and beating
champions Leicester City recently.

However, they will be facing a dominant Chelsea side set to be close to full strength following FA Cup duty.

Antonio Conte, will be without goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who is struggling with illness.

Yet, the former Juventus boss will still be eager for Chelsea to take full advantage of many of their top-six rivals not being in action.
Manchester United face Southampton in the EFL Cup final on Sunday, so their respective would-be opponents Manchester City and Arsenal won’t play in the league this week.

Courtois is said to be suffering from a severe stomach bug, however, Conte is still hopeful Courtois will be well enough to feature on Saturday.

If not, Asmir Begovic will deputise for the Belgian stopper.
Former Portsmouth and Stoke City man Begovic, is a highly capable goalkeeper in his own right.

In fact, the 29-year-old would almost certainly start for most other teams in England’s top flight.

Aside the goalkeeping issue, Conte is also expected to make numerous changes to the team that beat Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup last weekend.

David Luiz, also is a doubt for this match. The Brazilian is said to be
struggling with a knee problem, but Conte thinks he will be fit to start.

Chelsea are well-organised defensively if Luiz misses out, but it would mean Kurt Zouma or Nathan Ake would come into the side.

For Swansea, their hopes of testing a potentially weakened Chelsea back line could be hit by their own injury woes. In particular, the Swans are sure to miss the vision and passing quality of Ki Sung-Yueng.

The ex-Celtic star is out, but veteran Leon Britton could make his return from a back problem. Even at 34, the midfielder can still pass and move between the lines to help Swansea control possession.

Swansea City have the weaponry to cause Chelsea some worries at the back, particularly with Gylfi Sigurdsson set pieces and Fernando Llorente bossing things up front.

Opta Stats
After winning six of their first eight Premier League meetings with Swansea (D2), Chelsea are winless in their last three
against them (D2 L1).

Swansea’s 2-2 draw on the opening day of the 2015-16 season was their first Premier League point earned at Stamford Bridge.

The Swans have netted four goals in their last two league visits to Stamford Bridge, the same number they had scored in their previous 10 games there combined.

Diego Costa has scored seven goals in his four Premier League games against Swansea, more than he has against any other side in the competition.

This includes a hat-trick in this exact fixture in September 2014.
Costa’s rate of 1.75 goals per game against Swansea is the best of any Chelsea against a particular opponent in Premier League history (minimum four games against them).

Gylfi Sigurdsson has scored four Premier League goals against Chelsea, more than he has against any other side (two for Swansea, two for Tottenham).

Sigurdsson has been involved in more Premier League goals than any midfielder this season (16, eight goals and eight assists).

This could be Cesc Fabregas’ 300th Premier League game, becoming the first Spanish player to reach this milestone.

Swansea have taken 12 points from a possible 18 in 2017 (W4 D0 L2), one more than Chelsea have (11).

After 25 games of the 2015-16 Premier League season, Chelsea (30) were just three points ahead of Swansea City (27). At the same stage this season, the Blues are 36 points ahead of the Swans in the league.

These stats shows goals from both teams is inevitable,but chelsea’s quality supersedes that of the Swans, so the blues should win.
PREDICTION: CHELSEA 3-1 SWANSEA CITY