Chelsea – Swansea 26.12.2013

Having survived the North London derby with Arsenal, Chelsea now host Swansea City in the Boxing Day

clash at their Stamford Bridge. The Blues need to keep on winning matches against “small teams“ if they are to stay in the race for the Premier League title and this match has a big value.

Chelsea arrive at the Liberty Stadium following a goalless draw with bitter city rivals Arsenal on Monday night. The Blues produced a very good display at the Emirates Stadium and they will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they host Swansea City at their Stamford Bridge. Jose Mourinho’s men have been raising their form week by week, but it Mourinho’s rotation policy makes life difficult for the players. Nonetheless, Chelsea are a real force to be reckoned with at home and they have recorded seven wins, while playing out one draw at home ground so far. The Blues are just two behind league leaders Liverpool in the Premier League standings and seeing that the Reds square off against the other title contenders Manchester City, the Stamford Bridge will be highly motivated a win which should help them stay in the race for the title. When Chelsea last hosted Swansea City on home soil, Oscar and Lampard helped the capital club to record a 2-0 win.

The new Premier League campaign has been a mixed bag for Swansea City. The Swans were on the verge of picking up a point from the clash against Everton at the weekend, but Barkley gave the Toffees a reason to celebrate at the Liberty Stadium. Michael Laudrup’s men now face even more difficult task as they take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The last season’s top scorer Michu has been struggling with injuries this term and the Spaniard has yet to find his recognizable form and this is a big blow for the team. Swansea City struggle when playing against top table sides and they have already suffered defeats to the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City this season, meaning that the Swans will have a mountain to climb in London if they are to avoid loss on Boxing Day. Seeing that Michael Laudrup’s guys are hit by injuries ahead of their trip to the British capital, I would not be surprised if they suffer a heavy defeat at Stamford Bridge but i belive that guests can provide a good show and score at least one goal so in my opinion i reccomend over 2.5 golas but Chelsea is steal a big favorite so their win can’t be questionable.