Huddersfield vs Chelsea, Premier League live: What time and channel, latest team news, odds and prediction

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Chelsea visit Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night hoping to improve their poor record against the so-called weaker sides, after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against West Ham.

The Blues had already lost to Burnley and Crystal Palace before this weekend’s defeat, which Antonio Conte admitted spelled the end of their title challenge. After Monday’s Champions League draw paired them with Barcelona, Conte will be hoping not to complete a nightmare week with another defeat at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Chelsea were previously in good form, with a seven-game unbeaten spell including six victories and a decent point at Anfield, but Conte will be cautious of the complacency which has cost them before.

In particular, Chelsea must learn from the slow starts which have cost them before this season. Arnautovic’s sixth-minute goal was enough to give West Ham the victory on Saturday, while Crystal Palace also scored both their goals in the opening quarter of an hour, and Burnley were 3-0 up at half-time.

Huddersfield are in the opposite position to Chelsea, having seen their losing run come to an end against Brighton on Saturday. Steve Mounié’s two goals were enough to give the Terriers a 2-0 win, and halt a four-game losing streak. Huddersfield will see this game as a free hit, with little expectation of a result, but they have only lost two matches at the John Smith’s Stadium (against Manchester City and Spurs) giving them hopes of another upset.

Huddersfield have no new injuries or suspensions, but midfielder Philip Billing is out until January with an ankle injury and defender Michael Hefele unlikely to return before the weekend. United States international Danny Williams is likely to return to add more bite to midfield, with Collin Quaner or Tom Ince likely to miss out.

Chelsea have no new concerns, and may well name an unchanged eleven. Danny Drinkwater will be pushing for selection as he recovers from illness, while Victor Moses may replace David Zappacosta. David Luiz remains out with a knee injury, so Andreas Christensen will remain in defence, while Antonio Rüdiger may return in place of Gary Cahill.

Huddersfield vs. Chelsea kicks off at 20:00

BT Sport is broadcasting the game live, with coverage starting at 19.15.

Eden Hazard. The Chelsea system leaves them hugely reliant on having a front two who are fit and firing, and Hazard will need to show trademark creativity and trickery to break down what will be a packed Huddersfield defence.

Antonio Conte recently told media that he was “surprised” by Hazard’s lowly ranking of 19th on Thursday’s Ballon d’Or list, but Hazard will have to maintain his stellar form if he wants to be higher up on that list in twelve months’ time. With eight goals and five assists in his past 12 games, he is beginning to hit his stride after some initial struggles this season as he recovered from ankle surgery over the summer.

Chelsea have already dropped 16 points in the league this season, just five short of the 21 they dropped last season.

This fixture has only happened twice this century, but perhaps the most impressive moment was this goal-line clearance from Robbie Williams – the former Barnsley centre-half, unfortunately, rather than the Take That star…

Aaron Mooy. The Australian has been crucial to everything Huddersfield have done right this season, starting 15 of their 16 matches and averaging over fifty passes per match, far more than any of his team-mates. He also has form in games against the top six, with a goal and a brilliant performance in Huddersfield’s 2-1 victory against Manchester United in October.

The former Manchester City man will have to be at his combative best to win the midfield battle against N’Golo Kanté, Tiemoué Bakayako and Cesc Fabregas, but the Chelsea midfield has shown some frailty recently, most notably in their loss at the Olympic Stadium. He is one of only four players to score in the league for Huddersfield this season, and the West Yorkshire club will be hoping he can add to his two goals so far.

Chelsea 3 (Lampardx2, Kalou) Huddersfield 1 (Collins), FA Cup, February 2008
Chelsea 2 (Cole, Gudjohnsen) Huddersfield 1 (Taylor-Fletcher), FA Cup, January 2006
Chelsea 0 Huddersfield 1 (Irons), League Cup, October 1999

Huddersfield: LLLLW
Chelsea: WDWWL

Huddersfield: 9/1
Chelsea: 4/11
Draw: 19/5