Chelsea vs. Swansea Preview
The Champions might not be playing the first game of the season, but they still have a relatively easy game when it comes to the defence of their Premier League title. Chelsea have been given the task of hosting Swansea, one of the surprise packages from last season but the Blues should be confident, especially thanks to their great home record under Jose Mourinho.
The Champions haven’t had the greatest of times in the transfer window with the capture of Asmir Begovic, the only notable transfer, the Blues have also let go of Filipe Luis and Petr Cech, though many would consider the signing of Radamel Falcao as a coup, the Colombian’s patchy form from Manchester United does not seem to be going away anytime soon. The need for Chelsea to start on a winning note cannot be exaggerated, a good start ensures the pressure is on the other teams to replicate the result and Mourinho knows this just as well as anyone.
Swansea were in for a rocky season but ultimately achieved stability under Gary Monk, who led them to their highest ever points finish in the Premier League. The club might have lost out on powerhouse striker Wilfried Bony to Manchester City in the winter transfer window but the signing of Andre Ayew from Marseille is proof that the club are headed in the right direction and can attract top talent.
Diego Costa might be a big miss for Chelsea; the Spaniard is a huge doubt for the game against Swansea after tweaking his hamstring in the preseason. The Blues lost out to Arsenal in the Community Shield but will be looking to bounce back against the team from Wales.
Last season saw a great game played out between the two teams with Chelsea running out 4-2 winners over Swansea, this game however, might be a little tougher for Chelsea as Swansea should come out all guns blazing, and they have nothing to lose in all reality.
Predicted starting line-ups:
Chelsea starting XI: Thibaut Courtois, Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill, John Terry, Cesar Azpilicueta, Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas, Willian, Oscar, Eden Hazard, Radamel Falcao
Swansea City starting XI: Lukasz Fabianski, Neil Taylor, Pablo Fernandez, Ashley Williams, Kyle Naughton, Jack Cork, Ki Sung-Yueng, Jefferson Montero, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Andre Ayew, Bafetimbi Gomis
Prediction:
Chelsea might look a little rusty but trust Jose Mourinho to charge his team up for the Premier League battle and this might be a good barometer of how much work Chelsea need to do this season. Chelsea should be strong enough to defeat Swansea, but the game will be a tough one for the Blues.