Swansea well poised to cause Chelsea problems once again
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When Chelsea took to the turf at Stamford Bridge on the opening day of the season as reigning Premier League champions to host Swansea, not a soul on Earth could have envisaged what the events of that day would lead to.
Everything from Thibaut Courtois’ sending off, to Swansea’s battling 2-2 draw and the infamous Eden Hazard/Eva Carneiro-gate all kicked into a series of events which saw Chelsea without Jose Mourinho and without any hope of defending their title long before Christmas.
Fast forward eight months and Chelsea are heading for a trophyless season, Guus Hiddink has come in and steadied the ship, but last year’s main man Eden Hazard amazingly still hasn’t scored a Premier League goal this term.
Diego Costa still can’t shake his demons either, and will miss the trip to Wales through suspension after his err, nuzzle? Is that the word? at Gareth Barry in their FA Cup defeat to Everton.
Rare plus-points for Chelsea this season have included the emergence of youngsters Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Baba Rahman and Kenedy, with all three pointing towards a bright future in the game.
The Blues have been excellent on the road in the league under Hiddink, and are unbeaten in their last seven away from the Bridge.
Swansea however have been tough to break down at the Liberty Stadium, and Francesco Guidolin’s side have conceded two in their last five games, with five clean sheets in eight on their own patch.
Chelsea have nothing to play for, while their hosts could do with one more win, just to ensure a nerveless end to the season.
This game is unlikely to feature highly on this weekend’s Match of the Day, but the draw no bet on Swansea at 6/4 could be one to keep things interesting, especially if you fancy Chelsea to suffer a Man City-esque slump having announced their new manager for next season…
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
