Chelsea weathered a tough first few minutes to ensure they got a win against Newcastle last time around. Thanks to goals from Diego Costa & Oscar, the Blues went two points clear of Manchester City who could only draw their game.
Chelsea now face a tough task as they take on Swansea, Gary Monk’s side though have been hit hard as Manchester City signed Wilfried Bony this week though the player is at African Cup of Nations duty. Hopefully Chelsea can ensure a win against a Swansea team who have been tough to beat at home; here we look at 3 battles which can change the course of the 3 points.
Bafetembi Gomis vs. The Chelsea defence
With Bony gone to City, the onus of scoring and terrorizing defences falls on the broad shoulders of Gomis. The French striker hasn’t played as many games as he would have liked at Swansea since his move but this is the best time for him to come out of his shell and do well for club.
Gomis is a strong player and going up against Terry and Cahill might be one task which he might not enjoy as much but he could make the difference for Swansea.
The Swansea defence vs. Diego Costa
Diego Costa scored against Newcastle and could have scored a couple more had things gone his way. The Spaniard might have had a bit of a blip a few weeks back but he has found his scoring boots and will be looking to make all kinds of mischief when he takes on a Swansea defence which hasn’t looked the best this season.
Williams and Fernandez will have some trouble keeping a tab on Costa and the Chelsea striker might end up with more than just one goal thanks to his great finishing and movement.
Gylfi Sigurdsson vs. Cesc Fabregas
The two players who have made a huge difference for their respective clubs. Sigurdsson has been instrumental in making Swansea so difficult to beat this season, Gylfi has been one of the best midfielders this season in England while Cesc Fabregas has been the highest assist provider for the Premier League leaders.
He already has as many assists as Steven Gerrard did for the whole of last season when the Liverpool captain led the league in assists at the end of the season. It will be an interesting watch to see which of the two midfielders comes out on top as that could make the telling difference as to who wins the game.