Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho is unhappy with his entire team after Chelsea's disappointing start to the season Getty Images

West Bromwich Albion host Chelsea at the Hawthorns on Sunday as Jose Mourinho's men look to gain their first win of the season in three attempts.

Where to watch live

Kick-off is set for 1:30pm BST. Live coverage of the game will be on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1 HD.

Overview

Tony Pulis' men were handed a lesson in football by Manchester City in the opening day of the season where they won the game on a canter at 3-0 and the former Stoke City veteran will be desperate to shore up his defence in anticipation of the defending Champions. West Brom have not been faring exceedingly well against the top sides off late, conceding four against Arsenal in the final day of last season and followed that up with a mauling at the hands of the Cityzens.

However, the Baggies will take heart from the fact that Pulis acceded to being at fault for adapting an adventurous strategy against City. Chelsea will be a similarly difficult challenge, notwithstanding their form since the start of the season, but Pulis is likely to deploy a more defensive shape to frustrate his opponents.

The Baggies come into the game on the back of a dire 0-0 draw with Watford, but Pulis will be happy for a clean sheet after the debacle last week.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have been extremely busy this week with a lot of transfer activity going on. Barcelona winger Pedro and Augsburg defender Abdul Baba Rahman have been inducted into the team and are likely to play a part this weekend. It is a must win game for Mourinho, who would not want to go potentially eight points behind City.

The Blues have question marks over their defence, with Mourinho preferring to substitute John Terry halfway through their game against City, stating that the defender is not suited to their style of playing high pressing football for his lack of pace. The Portuguese manager is actively pursuing a deal for John Stones and wants to land him, before the transfer window.

What managers say

Tony Pulis: "It is a joke what you just said. A crisis after two games [for Chelsea]? This isn't a comedy show. They could have (new signing) Pedro, (Diego) Costa and (Eden) Hazard playing, that's not bad is it? They're the champions and they deserved to win it. They were so far ahead of everyone. We know it's going to be tough. To have Man City and Chelsea as our first two home games is very difficult, plus we have the window to deal with."

Jose Mourinho: "If we lose we go to eight points difference to a couple of teams, or maybe three or four teams, but eight points in England is 80 points in other leagues. Last year we lost seven points in three weeks but reached zero [level], again. Five points difference is one thing, eight points is another. But in England you can do it."

Betting odds (888sport.com)

  • West Bromwich Albion to win: 29/5
  • Draw: 31/10
  • Chelsea to win: 7/12

Team News

West Bromwich Albion

Possible XI: Myhill, Dawson, McAuley, Olsson, Brunt, Gardner, Fletcher, Yacob, Morrison, Berahino, Rondon.

Chelsea

Possible XI: Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Fabregas, Matic, Willian, Pedro, Hazard, Costa.

Chelsea FC