Pato in Starting XI: Swansea vs Chelsea – Match preview, team news and predicted line-up
Chelsea are aiming to end their season on a high under Guus Hiddink before new manager Antonio Conte arrives at Stamford Bridge in the summer. The Blues will travel to the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, in search of a fourth successive league victory on the road. The West London club have never lost against Swansea in the Premier League, and Guss Hiddink will be looking for back-to-back wins to maintain their chances of European qualification next season.
Chelsea are 10th in the English Premier League table with seven matches left in the season and any hope of a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League has vanished. They only have Europa League spot to aim for, and even that depends on how teams above them in the table will perform in the coming weeks.
The Welsh side are currently placed 15th in the league table and have pulled away from the threat of relegation on the back of some strong results recently. They will be looking to make sure of their safety in the Premier League on Saturday. They came back from 2 goals down at Stoke last week to salvage a 2-2 draw, and that result will certainly boost their confidence when they host Chelsea this weekend.
However, The Blues have done well at the Liberty Stadium and have kept three clean sheets in a row.
Team news:
Chelsea will be without their talisman skipper John Terry due to an Achilles injury. Eden Hazard, Gary Cahill, Loic Remy and Nemanja Matic are also expected to miss out due to respective injuries. Kurt Zouma is a long-term absentee due to a cruciate injury.
Diego Costa will be serving the FA suspension and won’t be available for selection. Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato is expected to make his first start for the Blues, with youngster Bertrand Traore also pushing for a start.
Andre Ayew, Swansea’s top goal scorer with eight goals this season, has returned to first-team training and could feature in some capacity. Â Italian forward Alberto Paloschi, who netted the second-half equalizer against Stoke last weekend, may also come into the side in place of Bafetimbi Gomis.
Chelsea predicted lineup:
Courtois; Rahman, Cahill, Ivanovic, Azpilicueta; Fabregas, Mikel; Willian, Oscar, Pedro; Pato
Swansea City predicted lineup:
Fabianski; Rangel, Fernandez, Williams, Naughton; Cork, Britton; Ayew, Sigurdsson, Routledge; Alberto Paloschi
Predicted result:
Swansea City 1-3 Chelsea