Chelsea v Swansea preview pack

The game kicks off at 1500 GMT at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea v Swansea: Manager quotes

Antonio Conte (Chelsea)

On the rest of the season: "First of all I think that it's important to finish this season in the best way and if we are able to reach this dream - for me, for the players - I'm ready to face this risk.

"There are 13 games until the end of the season and we want to stay at the top of the table. It won't be easy, but I'm ready to take this risk (if it) means we won the league." 

On the potential to be sacked: "If you remember very well I was already sacked this season with the bookmakers.

"I was lucky to keep the right concentration and to continue the work."

On previous intertest in Fernando Llorente: "This is the past. I think it's not right to talk about the past.

"I know him very well, because Fernando played with me at Juventus and we won together.

"He's a really good player, good footballer. I have great admiration for him.

"It's a pleasure for me to see him tomorrow, but I wish for him the best, but after this game."  

Paul Clement (Swansea)

On returning to Chelsea: "It is special, I am looking forward to going back," said the Swansea head coach.

"I had two spells there, from 1995 to 2000 when I was part time and then from 2007 to 2011 when I was full time.

"The last two years were memorable working with Carlo (Ancelotti), and I won the double under Guus (Hiddink) which is very rare. I am in touch with some people at the club and it will be nice to see them.

"Before my time there and after, they have recruited good managers and coaches with experience who are winners, and have continued to invest in the team.

"This team is different to when I was there. John Terry and David Luiz and Nemanja Matic are the ones I know. But they always evolve and invest and, when you get good managers and good players, it is a good mix." 

On trying to get points on the board: "In terms of preparation we just work on the next game.

"I know what is happening after Chelsea and how big those games are, but I don't say it is a defining period.

"I say we have 13 games to go and we have to avoid suffering at the end of the season. We have to keep winning and moving up the table.

"We don't want to need four points from two games at the end because that is massive pressure, so we need to take every chance to get points and the next one is on Saturday.

"People may see it as a shot to nothing for us. That might have been the case going to Liverpool and Manchester City, but I think they would say we gave them hard games.

"In both games we worked very hard and I think we could give anyone a difficult game in this moment." 

On facing Chelsea: "We are not daunted by it, we go there confident trying to put on a good performance.

"No one expects us to win. We have our own pressure on us, we have to improve. We are in a decent run and we have to keep that going with a performance even if we cannot get a result." 

Chelsea v Swansea: Team news

David Luiz and Marcos Alonso could return to Chelsea's starting line-up for Saturday's Premier League clash with Swansea.

The pair were rested for the FA Cup win at Wolves, where head coach Antonio Conte fielded a strong side, but John Terry and Cesc Fabregas could find themselves back among the substitutes.

Chelsea, Premier League leaders by eight points, have no injuries. 

Swansea have club captain Leon Britton back from injury.

The midfielder has been troubled by calf and back problems in recent weeks but is in contention to feature for the first time under head coach Paul Clement against the Blues.

Winger Nathan Dyer (Achilles) is a long-term absentee while Jefferson Montero (hamstring) remains sidelined, as does midfielder Ki Sung-yueng, who has a knee injury.

January signings Luciano Narsingh and Jordan Ayew are pushing to make their first starts, having only featured as substitutes since their respective arrivals from PSV Eindhoven and Aston Villa. 

Teams:

Chelsea (from):  Courtois, Begovic, Fabregas, Zouma, Alonso, Kante, Hazard, Loftus-Cheek, Moses, Pedro, Costa, Matic, Willian, Batshuayi, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Luiz, Eduardo, Aina, Ake. 

Swansea (from):  Fabianski, Amat, Ayew, Van der Hoorn, Mawson, Britton, Fer, Llorente, Baston, Nordfeldt, Routledge, Olsson, Birighitti, Rangel, Sigurdsson, Cork, Naughton, Narsingh, Fernandez, Kingsley, Carroll, Fulton, McBurnie. 

Chelsea v Swansea: Our prediction

Our David John writes...Chelsea will be looking for a 12th straight home win at Stamford Bridge and punters won’t get much bigger than 1/4 for them to bring up the dozen. 

They have only conceded five times during that spell (two came in the same game against Stoke on New Year’s Eve) and you would have to agree with Eden Hazard’s sentiments this week that “some teams are beaten before the kick-off”.

Arsenal seemed to flourish in the early stages at the start of the month but once Chelsea nosed ahead thanks to Marcos Alonso’s header then there really was only going to be one outcome and they seem to be marching towards a first Premier League title under Antonio Conte.

Next up are a vastly improved Swansea side, who have won three of their last four under the savvy Paul Clement and also almost nicked something at Manchester City after a valiant display when they were more than a match for that rival in the second period.

This will be a landmark fixture for Clement after two spells working at the Bridge – one as assistant to Carlo Ancelotti – and it will be a chance to gauge how far his side has come in a relatively short space of time as they try to retain their place in the top flight. 

Clement’s tweaks to the team in terms of organisation and switching to three at the back has sparked a real turnaround in both confidence and providing an attacking threat at the other end of the pitch so those dark mid-winter days under Bob Bradley continue to fade from the memory.

There is a real edge to their play at the moment and although 16 points shy of the magical mark of 40, they surely look one of the likelier candidates to survive from those in the bottom quarter of the standings.

A win at Liverpool and the display at the Etihad shows they are more than capable of mixing it with the elite and I don’t believe for one moment they will head to London with any fear of failure although the hosts are clearly and currently another step up in grade. 

They ended a bit of a hoodoo with victory at Anfield and the last time they won at Stamford Bridge in the top flight was 1925 but Clement has had a fortnight to get the grey matter whirring in terms of a game plan. 

I can’t see them being given a serious run-around so a two-goal start on the handicap is definitely in play at odds-against.

Prediction: Chelsea 1-0 Swansea 

Chelsea v Swansea: Opta facts

After winning six of their first eight Premier League meetings with Swansea (D2), Chelsea are winless in their last three against them (D2 L1). 

Swansea’s 2-2 draw on the opening day of the 2015-16 season was their first Premier League point earned at Stamford Bridge.  

The Swans have netted four goals in their last two league visits to Stamford Bridge, the same number they’d scored in their previous 10 games there combined.  

Diego Costa has scored seven goals in his four Premier League games against Swansea, more than he has against any other side in the competition. This includes a hat-trick in this exact fixture in September 2014.  

Costa’s rate of 1.75 goals per game against Swansea is the best of any Chelsea against a particular opponent in Premier League history (minimum four games against them).  

Gylfi Sigurdsson has scored four Premier League goals against Chelsea, more than he has against any other side (two for Swansea, two for Tottenham).  

Sigurdsson has been involved in more Premier League goals than any midfielder this season (16, eight goals and eight assists).  

Paul Clement was assistant manager to Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea between 2009 and 2011. While there, Chelsea won 48 of 76 Premier League (D13 L15).  

This could be Cesc Fabregas’ 300th Premier League game, becoming the first Spanish player to reach this milestone.  

Swansea have taken 12 points from a possible 18 in 2017 so far (W4 D0 L2), one more than Chelsea have (11).  

After 25 games of the 2015-16 Premier League season, Chelsea (30) were just three points ahead of Swansea City (27). At the same stage this season, the Blues are 36 points ahead of the Swans in the league.   

Chelsea v Swansea: Sky Bet odds

Chelsea are this weekend’s shortest-priced favourites at 1/4 with Sky Bet, with Swansea up against odds of 11/1 while the draw is priced at 19/4. The Blues head into the weekend at even shorter odds to win the Premier League (1/6) while their visitors have drifted out to 100/30 to face relegation following an upturn in form under Paul Clement. Diego Costa heads the first goalscorer betting at 9/4 while Fernando Llorente and Gylfi Sidurdsson are both 11/1 to net first.  

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