Maurizio Sarri Hopes for Good Start at Huddersfield
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The first round of traditional Saturday afternoon fixtures in the 2018/19 Premier League takes place this weekend. There are four 3pm kick-offs to enjoy with the pick of the bunch being the meeting between Huddersfield and Chelsea at the John Smiths Stadium.
Huddersfield started last season as one of the big favourites to be relegated from the Premier League. However, they produced a very good campaign under David Wagner to finish 16th, 4 points clear of the relegation zone.
Things did not go according to plan for Chelsea last season as they attempted to defend their title. The Blues finished in 5th place, 5 points adrift of the top four and despite winning the FA Cup, Antonio Conte lost his job. Maurizio Sarri will be Chelsea’s manager this season.
Huddersfield have had a busy preseason and played seven friendly games. They have picked up some good form towards the end, winning each of their last three matches, including a 3-1 win over Lyon, 2-1 win against Bologna and a 3-0 victory at RB Leipzig.
However, home form was not good towards the end of last season and trends show Huddersfield won only two of their last eleven home Premier League matches. They lost five of their last eight home league games, with defeats coming against West Ham United, Liverpool, Crystal Palace, Everton and Arsenal.
Perhaps the most alarming statistic is the fact Huddersfield have failed to score in seven of their last ten Premier League games, scoring only once in their last four.
Chelsea have been involved in some high-profile friendly games following the World Cup. They have played Inter Milan, Arsenal, Chelsea and Lyon plus Manchester City in the Community Shield. They failed to win any of those four matches, which will give Chelsea fans some cause for concern ahead of the new season.
The Blues were held to draws in all three of their friendly games, defeating Inter Milan and Lyon on penalties and losing to Arsenal in the same manner. However, the biggest disappointment came in the Community Shield against Manchester City.
Chelsea were clearly second best in the game as the went down 2-0 to the defending champions and Sarri has work to do if the players are going to adapt to his style of play.
The good news for Chelsea fans is trends show they are unbeaten in six of their last seven Premier League games. They have also seen over 2.5 goals in seven of their last nine away league matches.
Team news and Huddersfield will be without the injured Danny Williams but otherwise have a full-strength squad available. Huddersfield have made several singings in the summer with Adama Diakhaby, Terence Kongolo and Florent Hadergjonaj expected to start.
Chelsea have lost Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid but have gained Kepa from Athletic Bilbao and Mateo Kovacic from Real Madrid. It is unlikely either player will start this game, so Willy Caballero will play in goal and Callum Hudson-Odoi could start on the left wing.
This will be a tough first league game for Sarri against a well-drilled Huddersfield. The Blues will be missing a couple of key players including Eden Hazard but still have plenty of quality in their ranks. Chelsea could come away with the win a game which sees over 2.5 goals scored.
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