Chelsea v West Ham – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Chelsea face West Ham in the English Premier League on Sunday. The Blues have lost just one of their last 19 matches at home with eight wins in the last ten league fixtures at Stamford Bridge. The Hammers have won just four of 22 matches since the turn of the year.

Chelsea Form

Chelsea’s form is inconsistent but they’re looking strong on home turf. Their last 19 matches at home have seen just one defeat and they’ve taken 25 points from the last 10 home league matches (eight wins, one draw). A 93rd-minute goal conceded led to a 2-2 draw at bottom-placed Sheffield United.

The Blues destroyed Everton 6-0 at home as Cole Palmer netted four goals. Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Man City in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. A 5-0 drubbing at Arsenal saw the side hit rock-bottom before drawing 2-2 at Aston Villa with 71% possession. In midweek, they beat Tottenham 2-0 thanks to two set-piece goals.

Chelsea Team News

Mauricio Pochettino had 14 players absent in midweek and most of those won’t be back. Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell, and Malo Gusto remain injured in defence. Levi Colwill and Axel Disasi have only a small chance of being involved.

In midfield, Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia will play no part. Raheem Sterling and Christopher Nkunku have a small possibility of being fit to feature as substitutes.

Chelsea Motivation

This is another must-win game for Chelsea in the race for a top-six finish.

Fatigue is likely to be a factor after playing on Thursday night. They may look to get a goal in front and then sit back to protect that lead.

West Ham Form

West Ham have won just once in nine matches with new coaches being approached as David Moyes fights for his job. Since 1 January, it’s 22 matches in all competitions with just four wins. They beat Freiburg 5-0 in the Europa League before losing 4-3 at Newcastle either side of two drawn matches.

A 2-1 win at Wolves was followed by a 2-0 away defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League. A 2-0 home loss to Fulham preceded a 1-1 home draw vs Leverkusen to lose 3-1 on aggregate. Talk of Moyes’ departure increased after a 5-2 loss at Crystal Palace but they fought hard to draw 2-2 vs Liverpool last Saturday.

West Ham Team News

West Ham have doubts over centre backs Konstantinos Mavropanos and Nayef Aguerd for this match. Angelo Ogbonna is likely to partner Kurt Zouma at the back.

Jarrod Bowen has recovered from injury and will start. James Ward-Prowse was dropped vs Liverpool but is hoping to be recalled for this one.

West Ham Motivation

The Hammers won’t care about possession numbers. They will focus on fast attack and set-pieces in this one.

West Ham are two points behind Chelsea in the race for a European spot.

Key Stats

Chelsea have just 2 clean sheets in their last 18 matches (35 goals leaked)

Chelsea have won 8 of their last 10 home EPL matches (1 loss)

Chelsea have lost 1 of their last 19 matches at Stamford Bridge

West Ham have won just once in 9 matches in all competitions

West Ham have conceded 15 goals in their last 5 EPL matches

West Ham have just 1 win in their last 18 trips to Chelsea.

Verdict

This match will be closed due to Chelsea’s injuries and their lack of rest since Thursday. They may have enough to nick a one-goal win, but a draw is also a real possibility.

Best Bet: Chelsea win at 1.64
Value Bet: Chelsea to win by exactly 1 goal at 3.85
Goalscorer Tip: Noni Madueke to score anytime at 2.90