Both Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion have yet to bag their first win of the season, so both sides will go into Sunday's match hungry for a win.

Chelsea have been playing below their level of football with many players out of shape and defenders, not the least of which Branislav Ivanovic, letting the team down in key moments.

West Brom have had a disappointing start as well and have yet to see a goal scored for their club this season. Their defence has also been lacking in their past two games, and the Baggies will be hoping to turn it around against last year's champions.

Manager comments

The Blues have had their worst Premier League start in 17 years, picking up only one point after drawing 2-2 against Swansea City and losing 3-0 to Manchester City. Their form has not escaped the criticism of manager Jose Mourinho, who said he was "not happy" with his usual starting back four along with Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas, and Nemanja Matic.

And he didn't forget to shoulder some of the blame, adding, "I'm not happy with my form because I used to get better results than I'm getting now."

Hopefully, the manager's public criticisms of the players will motivate them to improve quickly and start earning some points.

On the other hand, West Brom manager Tony Pulis refused to entertain claims that Chelsea are in crisis in a press conference on Saturday and is wary of Mourinho's side.

"It is a joke what you just said. A crisis after two games? This isn't a comedy show.

"They could have Pedro, (Diego) Costa and 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."

Pulis' side have had a slow start to the season as well, losing 3-0 to Manchester City at The Hawthorns before drawing against Watford. However, despite a 3-0 victory against Chelsea in May and the fact that Chelsea have only beaten West Brom once in their past four meetings, Pulis isn't too optimistic about his team's chances against the champions.

"There's never a good time to play Chelsea.

"When we beat them last season they had a player sent off, people forget that.

"That was a good time to play them, before the game I wasn't so sure. We'll be facing a wounded animal."

Pulis is wise to be wary of a hungry Chelsea side on Sunday. The Blues might rather face an overconfident opponent than one who will be prepared for a challenge.

Weaknesses

As it has been since preseason, Chelsea's defence will most likely be lacking on Sunday. As Mourinho has pointed out, none of his usual back four are in the form he needs, and West Brom are aware of this and will be ready to attempt to exploit it.

Chelsea's midfield has also been lacking in form and creativity with Hazard and Fabregas yet to display last year's skills. In addition, Oscar will be out due to minor injury, making it more important for the midfield that starts on Sunday to show serious improvement from the past two games.

As for the Baggies, their problem remains their lack of goals scored, which so far this season is none. Pulis has the likes of Saido Berahino and Salomon Rondon to play up top, but it wouldn't be surprising if West Brom find it difficult to maintain possession or put the ball in the back of the net on Sunday.

Strengths

Chelsea have their world-class goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois back between the sticks, despite Asmir Begovic playing well in his absence, and Costa at the other end of the pitch. Whereas West Brom are likely to have trouble keeping possession and scoring, the Blues are likely to maintain possession well, and, provided that the midfield can create chances, Costa should be hungry to score goals.

West Brom will be strong defensively despite poor showings in their first two games, and Berahino and Rondon will present a challenge to Chelsea's back line. 

Players to watch

For Chelsea, Hazard is definitely a player to watch. Although he's been off to a slow start this season, his excellent form last term led to him earning the award for Player of the Year, and fans are eager to see him return to that form and help Chelsea earn their first win of the season.

On the other hand, one should keep an eye out for John Terry as well and whether or not he'll be starting on Sunday. The captain played every minute of the 2014-15 campaign, but was taken out at halftime against Manchester City last week, and it will be interesting to see whether or not Mourinho will have faith in the Englishman. He'll most likely either start the game and eventually be replaced by Kurt Zouma, or he'll spend the whole game on the bench, depending on Mourinho's mood.

Chelsea have also welcomed Abdul Rahman Baba and Pedro Rodriguez to the club within the past week, and it's possible one or both of them will start on Sunday. Due to the less than satisfactory performance of Chelsea's defence in their last two games, it might be smart for Mourinho to put him in on the left and let Cesar Azpilicueta play on the right. 

However, Pedro will probably not be totally fit in time for Sunday's match, and it would be wise for Mourinho to let him have more time to practice with the team and settle in before letting him start.

For West Brom, the focus is undoubtedly on Berahino. He scored 20 goals in all competitions last season, and fans will hope he can score West Brom's first goal of the season on Sunday.

Rondon will also be one to watch out for, as Pulis is expected to hand him his home debut against Chelsea, and he'll likely keep the Blues on their toes.

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