SADIO Mane can expect one thing if he is recalled to face West Bromwich Albion today.

He can expect to be fouled.

The pacy Saints star is the player fouled most often in the Premier League this season based on minutes on the pitch.

On numerous occasions, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has pointed out that Eden Hazard is a target of the opposition's bruising tactics, so much so he has asked for bigger shin pads.

Mourinho has a point: the Belgian playmaker has now been fouled 75 times this season, accounting for over a quarter (26 per cent) of the 288 infringements suffered by Chelsea.

Hazard may be the victim of roughhouse treatment from opponents, but while he has seen the most fouls against him this season he is not the player fouled most often.

Of players fouled a minimum of 20 times, that unfortunate tag goes to Mane, who is impeded on average every 28.3 minutes.

Mane has been fouled 44 times in his 1,165 minutes on the pitch in 2014/15.

Newcastle's Remy Cabella (31.4) and Hazard (32.5) are not far behind.

It won't shock Mourinho to see that the man at the centre of a storm last Saturday, Ashley Barnes, is a repeat offender when it comes to forcing referees into action.

Barnes may only have four bookings this season but he has committed a total of 50 fouls, the highest in the top flight.

Saints pair Victor Wanyama (49 fouls) and Graziano Pelle (47) are second and fourth in the list, with only Leicester’s Leonardo Ulloa (48) in between.

Mourinho's belief that there is a campaign against Chelsea, meanwhile, doesn't appear to be backed up by the statistics.

In actual fact they get protected more than most: Chelsea's opponents commit the fewest fouls per card than all but one other Premier League side.

Could this be another example of a subtle mind-game played to perfection by the Portuguese boss?

As a result of this, Chelsea have seen more opponents sent off (seven) than any other – including Saints star Morgan Schneiderlin – and have played against 10 men or fewer for 207 minutes ... nearly an hour more than anyone else.

To put into context how often they have benefitted from a numerical advantage, consider this: Everton and Swansea have each suffered from 310 fouls this season yet have played against 10 men or fewer for just 24 and seven minutes respectively.

Either their rivals are taking more drastic measures to deal with Chelsea’s stars, or referees are doing more to protect them.