This weekend, the Premier League is packed with derbies. After the Merseyside and the Manchester derby on Saturday, we’re gonna see a London derby. Well, a sort of London derby. The Chelsea vs. West Ham rivalry isn’t too fierce, but nevertheless, the match will have a big importance for both teams. The Blues need a win to secure a spot in Europa, while the Hammers are in a desperate need of point in order to avoid relegation. Who’ll succeed? Find out in this match preview!
Chelsea
Right now, Chelsea are at the 5th spot of the Premier League table, which is a position that takes to the Europa League next season. Truth be told, their season goal was to finish among the top 4, especially considering that they’re the reigning champions. Unfortunately for them, getting higher than this seems like a mission impossible.
Tottenham, who are at the 4th place have 8 points more and there are only 7 rounds left until the end of the season. Obviously, Chelsea can say goodbye to the Champions League, but what about the Europa League? How secure is the 5th spot for them?
Well, the Blues currently have 5 points more than Arsenal, who are one place below. What this means is that there’s no room for mistakes if they wanna keep their position. Failing to win on Sunday would definitely be considered a big slip.
But, Chelsea fan have every right to be worried about what’s gonna happen in the West Ham game. Their team hasn’t been playing very well lately, losing 3 out of 4 previous matches. Still, to be fair, Chelsea played against some really strong teams in those matches – Manchester United, Manchester City, and Tottenham.
A much bigger problem than their form is their injury list. There are a couple of key players that are likely to miss the game with West Ham, most notably their goalie, Thibaut Courtois. Instead, we’re gonna see Willy Caballero between the posts, the man who was responsible for at least two conceded goals in the 3:1 defeat to Tottenham last weekend.
West Ham
The Hammers are just a couple spots away from the relegation zone. They have only 5 points more than Southampton who are in the danger zone and with 7 rounds till the end of the season, West Ham are far from being safe. They will need to work hard in order to stay in the Premier League for another year.
The good thing is that there are many other teams in a similar situation as them. Actually, the point difference between the 10th and the 18th team on the table is only 9 points. Of course, this doesn’t mean that West Ham have the right to take it easy. On the contrary, they need to give their best and try to win at least one point on Sunday.
The morale in the locker room seems to be high after the last round’s win over Southampton. West Ham beat them 3:0, with Marko Arnautović scoring twice. Described as the poor man’s Ibrahimović, the striker showed that Chelsea defenders need to be afraid of him. Apart from him, it seems that the Inter loanee, João Mário, is also starting to show class.
Team News
Chelsea absentees:
- David Luiz (injury)
- Thibaut Courtois (doubtful)
- Ross Barkley (doubtful)
- Davide Zappacosta (doubtful)
- Pedro (doubtful)
West Ham absentees:
- Michail Antonio (injury)
- Samuel Byram (injury)
- Andrew Carroll (injury)
- Pedro Obiang (injury)
- Winston Reid (injury)
- Manuel Lanzini (doubtful)
- Chicharito (doubtful)
Possible Lineups
Chelsea:
Caballero – Christensen, Rudiger, Azpilicueta – Kante, Fabregas, Alonso, Moses – Hazard, Willian, Morata
West Ham:
Joe Hart – Ogbonna, Cresswell, Rice – Noble, Kouyate, Zabaleta, Masuaku – Edimilson Fernandes, João Mário, Arnautović
Chelsea vs. West Ham Match Prediction
This game seems quite tricky. Obviously, Chelsea are the favorites, but I wouldn’t be surprised if West Ham pulled off an upset. That’s why my advice is to stick to goals. I think we should see both teams scoring.
Chelsea vs. West Ham Betting Tips
- BTS @2.04 (bet365)
