Chelsea can go top of the table if they beat Hull City in the early kick-off at the KC Stadium on Saturday. It would be the first time since August that the Stamford Bridge outfit would have been top of the English Premier League, and José Mourinho's men will be fairly confident such a result is more than likely. Both teams will be buoyed by relatively straightforward wins over Championship opposition in last weekend's FA Cup. Hull's trip to the North-East yielded a 2-0 win against Middlesbrough, while Chelsea's midland escapade to high-fliers Derby County also saw a two goal victory. Hull won't be short of confidence following their 6-0 home trashing of hapless Fulham at the turn of the year. They're also sitting quite comfortably in tenth place, and are more than likely to avoid the relegation dog-fight at this point. However, the stats are against them here. They haven't beaten Chelsea since 1988, and manager Steve Bruce has a 1/18 win Premier League record against the Londoners. Chelsea are flying. The midfield combination of Hazard, Willian, and Oscar are clicking nicely, and they've hit a nice run of form, with recent victories over Southampton, Liverpool, and Swansea. Mourinho has been vindicated so far for his decision to confine Spanish fan favourite Juan Mata to the touchlines, and stick with the youthful trio. Expect Fernando Torres to complete the attacking line-up after a couple of fine recent performances. On the injury lists, Paul McShane will more than likely miss out for Hull City, while Sone Aluko and top scorer Robbie Brady are both still on the treatment table. Chelsea have both midfielder Frank Lampard and defender Branislav Ivanovic on the sidelines, with Azpilicueta expected to continue in place of the latter. Both players are expected to be absent for the next few weeks at least. source -
bbc football
