Chelsea were finally conquered last weekend at St. James’ Park, as Jose Mourinho’s side fell to their first defeat of the season, losing 2-1 to Newcastle. Fifteen games in to the season, however, three of Chelsea’s players are ranked in the top five performers in the Premier League. Diego Costa (2nd), Eden Hazard (3rd) and Cesc Fabregas (5th) are joined by Sergio Aguero (1st) and Alex Sanchez (4th) to complete the quintet.
Costa is ranked so highly largely because of his goals. He has scored eleven goals in twelve games, making him the second top scorer in the Premier League. Costa has a remarkable 79.3% of shots on target, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Costa has not scored in the last couple of games, but remains Chelsea’s biggest goal threat as he returns to full fitness. Costa is 5/9 to score any time with 888sport.
Last weekend’s match at Newcastle saw Eden Hazard extend his lead as the Premier League’s most successful dribbler. Hazard completed four successful dribbles last weekend, bringing his total for the season to 69, which is 22 more than second place Raheem Sterling, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Nemanja Matic was absent against Newcastle but should make his return to the starting eleven this weekend. Matic has now won 48 tackles this season, the fourth most of any player in the Premier League. Matic has also covered an average of 11.64km per game, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Hull City are now eight games without a win, and face yet another tough task as they seek a win at Stamford Bridge.
Ahmed Elmohamady added three successful crosses to his tally last week, and he has now made 20 successful crosses for the season, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. This is the fourth highest total in the division, and should the quality of his deliveries continue, it is not long before these result in goals and Hull get back to winning ways. Elmohamady is 23/1 to score any time with 888sport.
Jake Livermore has now covered 172.8km over the course of the season, which averages out at around 11.5km per game, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Livermore has now covered the second most ground in the league behind Cesc Fabregas, who misses the game through suspension.
Defender Michael Dawson has made the most blocks of any Premier League player this season, making 22 blocks in just ten appearances. His average of 2.2 clearances per game is by far the best in the league, with Richard Dunne in second at 1.7 per game, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Chelsea vs Hull City Possible Lineups:
Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Ramires; Hazard, Oscar, Willian; Costa
Hull City: McGregor; Elmohamady, Chester, Dawson, Davies, Robertson; Huddlestone, Livermore, Meyler; Jelavic, Hernandez
Chelsea vs Hull City Match Facts:
- Loic Remy and Didier Drogba have both scored three goals in three Barclays Premier League games against Hull City.
- The Tigers have never won away at Chelsea in any competition (L15 D5 W0).
- Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 10 games against Hull City in all competitions (W8 D2), including all six in the Barclays Premier League (W4 D2 L0).
- Mohamed Diame has scored four goals from just four shots on target in the Premier League this season.
- Hull have scored only two goals in their last seven Premier League games.
- Only once before have Chelsea had more points after 15 games of a Premier League campaign (40 in 2005-06).
- This is Hull City’s worst start to a Premier League season (13 points), even lower than the 16 they accrued after 15 games in 2009-10 when they were relegated.
Facts compiled from Yahoosport
Chelsea vs Hull City Prediction:
3-0 win to the home side.
Data supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Select and manage your own team of stars with at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ or with FIFA Ultimate team.