TEAM NEWS
Head coach Maurizio Sarri has no other new fitness concerns but could make changes following the 4-0 defeat at Bournemouth. Chelsea will assess the fitness of forwarding Gonzalo Higuain, who has been struggling with a back injury.
Huddersfield’s Philip Billing is set to return after two games out with a knee problem, while new signing Karlan Grant could make his debut up front.
Aaron Mooy returned as a substitute in the midweek defeat at Everton.
MOTD COMMENTATOR’S NOTES
@SimonBrotherton: Having loudly called his players out after losing to Arsenal and then locking himself in the dressing room with them for 50 minutes on Wednesday night, you wonder what Maurizio Sarri will do when the next crisis point arrives.
Defeat at home to Huddersfield would certainly fall into that category.
The Terriers are bottom of the league and have lost 10 of their last 11 league games, but they did earn a point at Stamford Bridge last May to guarantee their Premier League survival.
Hopes of a second great escape look increasingly remote this year, with a 12-point gap already opening up to 17th-placed Burnley.
VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT
Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri, asked whether his side should have a ‘Plan B’ tactically: “Why? First of all, I want to do very well the plan A, I think. I don’t want to change something that at the moment doesn’t work very well.
“First of all, I want to see my football played very well, then we can go to change something.”
Huddersfield Town head coach Jan Siewert: “There is never a good time [to play Chelsea] – this is just the task we are given.
“For me it was the possibility to observe Chelsea [in midweek], so I know the situation and I know they have difficulties.
“I saw some situations in which they were vulnerable, but to be honest it will be a totally different game. I know Maurizio Sarri is a fantastic manager and we have to face everything which they give us.”
LAWRO’S PREDICTION
As bad as the Blues were against Bournemouth, I still think they will beat Huddersfield. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gonzalo Higuain opened his account for the club, too.
Prediction: 2-0
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Chelsea have won two of the previous three Premier League meetings, including Maurizio Sarri’s first game as their head coach in August.
- However, Huddersfield earned a draw when the teams met at Stamford Bridge last May, a point which guaranteed their Premier League survival.
- Huddersfield’s last league victory over Chelsea was 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in the old Second Division in March 1963.
Chelsea
- Chelsea are in danger of losing three league matches in a row for the first time since November 2015.
- They have failed to score in three of their last four league games. They could fail to score in three consecutive Premier League fixtures for the first time since 2007.
- The Blues have scored 13 goals in 13 league matches, having amassed 27 goals in their first 11 fixtures of the season.
- During that 13-match spell, only Huddersfield and Cardiff have scored fewer Premier League goals than Chelsea.
- Chelsea have kept 10 Premier League clean sheets in 2018-19 – only Liverpool have more.
Huddersfield Town
- Huddersfield have lost 10 of their past 11 league matches, drawing the other.
- They have gone four matches without a goal in all competitions, and have failed to score in half of their 24 league games this season.
- Huddersfield have lost all seven league matches this season against the current top six sides by an aggregate score of 19-2.
- The Terriers have played 36 competitive fixtures since they last had more than one goalscorer in a single match.
- Laurent Depoitre has scored both of Huddersfield’s Premier League goals against Chelsea – but the Belgian has yet to score this season, despite having had 23 shots.
Source: BBC News
