Chelsea will look to continue their recent revival when they host West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
Guus Hiddink's side remain down in 14th place in the Premier League table, but would leapfrog their opponents and could move to within three points of the top half with a midweek win.
Chelsea
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He may have got off to a relatively slow start, but Hiddink now appears to be having the desired effect at Chelsea following the departure of Jose Mourinho.
The Dutchman remains unbeaten in his second stint in interim charge of the club, and including their victory over Sunderland under Steve Holland it is now five games without defeat for the Blues - their longest run of the season.
At the end of the campaign, they may well look back to a wet and windy afternoon at Selhurst Park as the point that their season turned around, with Hiddink having picked up his first win in their most recent league game.
Crystal Palace were more than a match for Chelsea for the opening half-hour, but the Blues took control of the game after Oscar's opener and went on to record their biggest win of the season on the back of their best performance of the campaign.
A few weeks ago, the players may have shirked the challenge against a fired-up Palace side in miserable conditions, but instead they fronted up and, as the sun emerged towards the end of the match at Selhurst Park, so it may have done on Chelsea's season too.
They followed that victory up with another win and third consecutive clean sheet to book their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup, with a revitalised Diego Costa among the scorers in a 2-0 win over Scunthorpe United to make it four goals in his last three games. Booed by his own supporters less than a month ago, the Spaniard's name has begun to be chanted by those same fans once again.
Chelsea now have the opportunity to win back-to-back league games for the first time this season, and such rare consistency would come just in time for meetings with Everton, Arsenal, Watford and Manchester United in their next four league games.
Victory could also take them to within striking distance of the top half of the table, and with it renewed belief that a Champions League challenge is not yet out of the question despite such a poor first half to the season.
The Blues have only won one home game against a side currently above them in the table all season, however, and that came against a nine-man Arsenal side back in September. Their Stamford Bridge record is improving, though, with three wins and no defeats in their last four home outings in all competitions.
Recent form: LLWDDW
Recent form (all competitions): LWDDWW
West Brom
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Like Chelsea, West Brom have started 2016 in encouraging form and go into Wednesday's match three points better off than the defending Premier League champions.
Even so, relegation is a more likely scenario for the Baggies than it is for Chelsea and, although nine points separate them from the bottom three, Tony Pulis will be wary of that gap growing any smaller as he looks to keep his side at arm's length of danger.
The coming weeks could be crucial to that goal. Including Wednesday's meeting with Chelsea, West Brom's next five games all come against sides currently below them in the table, while they do not play a team in the top half again until February 27.
Of course, that leaves them with a difficult end to the campaign, which makes it all the more important for the Baggies to pick up as many points as possible over the next month or so to keep them away from the mire.
Defeats to relegation candidates Bournemouth and Swansea City either side of Christmas may have worried West Brom fans, but the team responded well and come into this match off the back of consecutive wins over Newcastle United and Stoke City respectively. Another one here would give them three on the bounce in the Premier League for the first time since November 2012.
That winning streak does not apply to all competitions, however, as Pulis's side were on the brink of an early FA Cup exit on Saturday before James Morrison's 95th-minute equaliser rescued a replay against Championship strugglers Bristol City.
Despite that late drama, the main talking point of the match surrounded Saido Berahino, who was named on the bench for the 10th consecutive game but scored within four minutes of his introduction as a sub, before proceeding to shake Pulis's hand during his celebration.
The young striker has been once again linked with a move away from The Hawthorns this month, but his goal could put him in contention for a first start since October.
The team could certainly do with extra firepower on the road having only managed six away goals in the league all season and failed to win any of their last four outings on their travels.
Recent form: DDLLWW
Recent form (all competitions): DLLWWD
Team News
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Hiddink has insisted that he will not rush Eden Hazard back into the starting lineup, so the Belgian is unlikely to play any part on Wednesday.
There is also concern over the in-form Costa, who is a major doubt due to a knee injury and will undergo a late fitness test to determine whether or not he can play.
Should Costa not make it then Hiddink may be presented with an attacking dilemma as Radamel Falcao is sidelined and Loic Remy is also a doubt for the match. Hazard has filled in as the furthest forward on other occasions this season, but he too is unavailable for this match.
Oscar and Nemanja Matic are also doubts in midfield, which is likely to see John Obi Mikel retain his role in the middle of the park.
Pulis does not have as much to worry about from an injury standpoint, with Jonas Olsson and Victor Anichebe both rated as 50-50 for the game following recent hamstring injuries.
As mentioned, Berahino will be hoping for a rare start, but he faces competition from Salomon Rondon, who is back available after suspension.
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta; Fabregas, Mikel, Willian, Loftus-Cheek, Pedro; Remy
West Brom possible starting lineup:
Myhill; Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Brunt; Fletcher, Yacob, Sessegnon, Morrison, McClean; Lambert
Head To Head
Chelsea have lost just one of their last six meetings with West Brom, with that coming at the tail end of last season when Mourinho's men had already been crowned champions.
It was against West Brom that Chelsea picked up their first win of the current campaign in a dramatic match that saw John Terry sent off, Morrison miss a penalty but then go on to score two goals and Chelsea eventually run out 3-2 victors at The Hawthorns.
The Baggies have lost more Premier League games against Chelsea than any other opponent (14), while they have not won a league game at Stamford Bridge since a 3-1 triumph in September 1978. They have lost 12 of their 14 league meetings in West London since.
We say: Chelsea 2-0 West Brom
Chelsea looked a lot closer to their title-winning form of last season in brushing Crystal Palace aside, and they appear to be gaining some momentum under Hiddink now. West Brom, as ever, could make things difficult for the home side, but Chelsea should still have enough to come away with all three points.
Barney Corkhill
