Tag: West Ham

Chelsea return to domestic action on Sunday, as they follow up a midweek Europa League game for the first time in over five years. The Blues aren’t too enthused about their commitments in Europe’s second tier, with Eden Hazard staying behind for the trip to Greece. The Belgian links up with his teammates for the short trip to the London Stadium this week, but can the Blues claim all three points to maintain their stunning start?

Maurizio Sarri and his men are trying to maintain their perfect start to the season. Their 1-0 win at PAOK in the Europa League means it’s six wins from six for the Blues so far. They’ll be hoping to build on that ahead of a busy week, which brings two meetings with Liverpool. Before that, they need to pick up three points at a ground where Antonio Conte’s team lost last season. Will this clash bring an end to Sarri’s perfect start?

Team News: Sarri Hoping to Revert to First 11

The Blues didn’t rotate as wildly as they could have during the Europa League in midweek. They made a few changes, which included leaving out Eden Hazard. Despite the midweek win, it’s unlikely that the tweaks to the team will stick, and Sarri is hoping to turn to his first choice group once again. However, both Pedro and Mateo Kovacic face late fitness tests ahead of this one, and neither of the pair featured on Thursday night. Should they not play, Willian will keep his place up front, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be hopeful of a start in midfield.

The Hammers have a lengthy injury list, which includes Marko Arnautovic. The Austrian was a vital part of their win at Everton last weekend, scoring at Goodison Park. They remain burdened with a few more long-term absentees, as Winston Reid, Jack Wilshere, Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll are all ruled out for this clash. Manuel Pellegrini won’t want to make too many changes to a side which just turned a corner, and he doesn’t really have many options to change things up now anyway. They’re set to start this one with a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Arnautovic leading the line if he can return to fitness in time for this clash.

Wes Ham Form

The hosts are fresh from their first league win of the season, but they remain towards the bottom of the Premier League after some poor form. They lost their opening four matches of the season, which saw the likes of Wolves and Bournemouth claim three points at this ground. Are they going to be able to raise their game ahead of a clash with a London rival? Or can the Blues become the latest side to walk away from this ground with maximum points?

The hosts don’t exactly have a stellar record when it comes to facing the league’s top sides. The only top seven team they beat across last season was that home win over Chelsea. They lost at home to three of the top four last term, and their early season results hardly inspire confidence that the Hammers can take three points away from Sunday’s encounter.

West Ham v Chelsea Head to Head

The Blues didn’t have too much luck against the Hammers last season. They took just a point from their two league games, with old foe Chicharito scoring the equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. They’ve struggled in trips to West Ham in recent years, losing three of their last four. However, given the respective starts the pair have made this season the visitors will expect that run to come to an end.

• Chelsea 1-1 West Ham, April 2018
• West Ham 1-0 Chelsea, December 2017
• West Ham 1-2 Chelsea, March 2017
• West Ham 2-1 Chelsea, October 2016
• Chelsea 2-1 West Ham, August 2016

Betting Tips

• Both Teams to Score – 4/6 with bet365
• Eden Hazard to Score – 23/20 with BetVictor

Chelsea make this trip to West Ham as favourites, and they’re priced up at 4/7 with Coral. Betfair make the draw 7/2, while you can find West Ham at 9/2 with Ladbrokes. The hosts will be hoping to carry on their momentum from last week, and they’ll be delighted by the impact of Andriy Yarmolenko at Goodison. He scored twice for the Hammers, and they’ll have him in a prominent role ahead of this clash at the London Stadium. However, will that be enough to take them to all three points on Sunday? After all, the Blues have already come through some tricky encounters so far this season.

The visitors have been excellent going forward, but defensive concerns remain. They did well to hang on to a lead against PAOK in midweek, but the Blues have just one clean sheet in their last four Premier League matches. Sarri’s side have quickly got up to speed with the way he wants to play moving forward, but not defensively. The last four meetings between these two in this fixture have seen the Hammers score, and we’re backing them to score again on Sunday. Both teams to score is our tip given their form going forward, and BTTS can be backed at 4/6 with bet365 here.

The Blues are boosted in attack by the return of Hazard, who will benefit from a midweek break. The Belgian is the Premier League’s top scorer, and fresh from last weekend’s hat-trick he is in fine form. The forward is emerging as the league’s best player and looks almost unplayable. West Ham have looked vulnerable at the back so far, and their lack of a defensive midfielder is a glaring weakness. As a result, we’re backing the Belgian to score this weekend. You can find Hazard at 23/20 with BetVictor to score any time. Given his strong start to the season, that seems like generous value.

Chelsea head into Sunday’s clash with West Ham in a real state of limbo. Quite where they go from this point is tough to figure out, as they sit eight points off the top four. They’re set for a season in the Europa League next time out, while they’re heading into the weekend expecting to lose their champions tag. It seems like Antonio Conte’s reign at the club is fizzling out, as failure to make the Champions League isn’t something which the Blues board are going to take lightly. So with seven games remaining, this season seems to lack a sense of direction for the hosts.

Last weekend’s defeat showed a clear issue with the current side, which is a lack of ideas when Plan A doesn’t go well. The switch to a 3-5-2 was problematic and quickly scrapped, while the Blues have transformed into a squad built to play three at the back in the last 18 months. Part of the run-in will have to involve finding a way forward for the club next season and beyond, even though Conte’s stay at the Bridge surely won’t last longer than nine games at the most.

Team News: Will Conte Bother Naming his Strongest 11?

Chelsea’s strength last season was a settled 11, one which barely changed across the title winning campaign. There have been considerably more changes this term, but there’s still little depth outside of the first team. Conte does have a favoured side, but is there any point sticking with them here? Tottenham’s fixture list basically guarantees they won’t let an eight point lead in fourth slip, while the Blues basically have to go all in for the FA Cup. Keeping their main men out of the firing line might be good, and it could shake up the team.

With Chelsea now looking towards next season, it might be worth going in different directions with selection here. Other systems, players and approaches should probably be tested out. While it’s hard to see Conte ditching the side he seems to always stick with, some rotation might just do the Blues some good in this clash.

West Ham head here with a number of injury worries to consider, as they’ve lost Manuel Lanzini, Pedro Obiang and Winston Reid. Unsurprisingly Andy Carroll is ruled out through injury, facing the side he was ludicrously linked with back in January. With as many as six players out, David Moyes is limited in what he can do in this trip.

West Ham Form

West Ham visit the Bridge on the back of a huge 3-0 win over Southampton, which sent them up to 14th place in the Premier League. The Hammers are edging towards safety, which doesn’t really seem like a huge achievement given the poor quality of some of the sides left in the division.

West Ham have managed to muster just two away wins to their name this term, and they’ve suffered a defeat in over half of their away matches. They’ve lost seven of 10 trips to teams above them so far, and we expect them to struggle once again in this visit.

Chelsea v West Ham Head to Head

Chelsea suffered a real low point in their last clash with West Ham, which saw them lose 1-0 at the Olympic Stadium back when David Moyes and his men were in real trouble. The Blues’ previous three meetings with West Ham have been played in East London, but Chelsea have won four of their last six at home to the Hammers, going unbeaten in that time. Surely with that record behind them they can get a result and put last weekend’s loss behind them?

• West Ham 1-0 Chelsea, Dec 2017
• West Ham 1-2 Chelsea, Mar 2017
• West Ham 2-1 Chelsea, Oct 2016
• Chelsea 2-1 West Ham, Aug 2016
• Chelsea 2-2 West Ham, Mar 2016

Betting Tips

• Alvaro Morata to score – 5/6 with Ladbrokes
• Both Teams to Score – 11/10 with Betfair

Chelsea may not have the greatest form behind them going into this clash, but they are still heavy favourites against the Hammers. The hosts have been backed in to 1/4 with Coral to get back to winning ways, which is something Conte’s side really need to do this weekend. You can back West Ham at 11/1 with BetVictor to take the points from this one, while the draw is 9/2 with Betfred. However, will the visitors be able to upset the odds and pull off a shock result in this clash?

The one bright spot for the Blues from the game against Tottenham was Alvaro Morata and his return to scoring form. The striker now has the most headed goals of any one in the Premier League this term, and the Chelsea man should take confidence from his strike against Spurs. That should earn him a start for this game, and luckily enough Morata is going up against the side who have conceded the most headed goals away from home in the top flight. While the ex-Real Madrid man has plenty of talents and can cause trouble in other ways, his aerial prowess should hurt the Hammers. We’re backing another goal for the Spanish forward, and he’s priced at 5/6 with Ladbrokes to score at any time.

Chelsea are in awful losing form, with five recent defeats in the league. Things are going downhill for the Blues, but they should still score against a poor Hammers defence. However, the visitors have been strong going forwards on the road, and they have found the net in their previous eight away matches. West Ham should hurt Chelsea at the back going off current form, yet you can back both teams to score in Sunday’s encounter at 11/10 with Betfair, which seems like great value as far as we are concerned.

Chelsea are back in Premier League action on Saturday afternoon, as they make the trip across London to visit West Ham. David Moyes’ side have struggled for points all season, which has left them stuck in the bottom three as we edge towards Christmas. While there’s plenty of talent and experience in this West Ham side, you have to question their work ethic, which is something they need to have if they’re going to survive a relegation scrap. The Blues should be confident of claiming three points, given how David Moyes struggled with Sunderland last season, and he’s threatening to take his new side in a similar direction.

Having wrapped up their Champions League campaign, Chelsea are focusing on securing a top four finish in the Premier League this time around. Manchester City are running away with things, and the main aim for Antonio Conte’s side is making it into next season’s European Cup. There is a slight chance for the champions to get back into the title race, with the two Manchester clubs meeting this weekend and with a kind December fixture list. However, first up they need to claim all three points when they visit the struggling Hammers to have any chance of pushing the leaders later in the season.

Team News: Will Conte Turn to Wingers Against Struggling Hammers?

We can see this being the type of game that would suit Conte’s 3-4-3 approach, as the Italian has plenty of creativity to play in the supporting roles behind Alvaro Morata. Both Willian and Pedro should be pushing for a start in the side ahead of this weekend’s game, while Eden Hazard is in wonderful form of late. That strength is something which the manager needs to take advantage of, especially against an incredibly leaky West Ham defence. Other than that, we struggle to see any major changes for the champions, although the centre-halves could be switched around once again.

West Ham used a 3-5-1-1 system in their defeat at Manchester City, but they did that without a recognised frontman. They looked to pile bodies into the middle of the park for that game, which is a tactic that seemed to work against City. However, with Chelsea playing with two roaming players in advanced positions, the Hammers need a bit of a rethink here. A three-man defence is the standard way to play against the Blues these days, but further up the pitch Moyes needs to make changes if he’s to lift spirits at the London Stadium.

West Ham Form

West Ham come into this weekend’s game after a dreadful run in the Premier League, which led to the sacking of Slaven Bilic. However, the hammers haven’t been able to arrest their slump under new manager Moyes, which is a worrying sign at this point in the campaign. They’re second from bottom as things stand, without a win in eight league matches, but can that change here?

The Hammers have two home league wins this season, which both came against sides in the bottom six in the league, including basement club Swansea. Their other matches haven’t quite gone so well, and they’ve lost every meeting with the top six so far. Based on how the Blues have been faring in the league of late, it’s hard to see things changing for Moyes and his men here.

West Ham v Chelsea Head to Head

The Blues made two visits to the Olympic Stadium during its inaugural campaign, claiming three points in the league here in October. The Blues were knocked out of the EFL Cup at this ground last season, but that came against an experimental Chelsea team. With Conte set to go with the big guns here, given how poor the visitors are at the back, we can see yet another high scoring encounter between these two teams.

• West Ham 1-2 Chelsea, Mar 2017
• West Ham 2-1 Chelsea, Oct 2016
• Chelsea 2-1 West Ham, Aug 2016
• Chelsea 2-2 West Ham, Mar 2016
• West Ham 2-1 Chelsea, Oct 2015

Betting Tips

• Chelsea and over 2.5 goals – 11/8 with Betfred
• Eden Hazard to score any time – 7/5 with Betfair

Chelsea come in to this one priced at 1/2 with Coral for all three points, with the Hammers still searching for a win under former Everton boss Moyes. They aren’t fancied to end that wait this weekend, as the hosts can be backed at 13/2 with BetVictor to claim a home win. The draw is priced at 3/1 with Coral here, but recent years haven’t seen too many stalemates between these two, and we can’t see them finishing level here. The Blues are priced around where they should be given how poor the Hammers have looked this season, but we’re looking at slightly bigger prices for our bets on Saturday’s early kick-off.

West Ham have tended to see high scoring games this season, especially in their defeats. The hosts have lost nine of their 15 league games this term, with almost all of those seeing over 2.5 goals scored. Their only defeat to see fewer than three goals was a dismal 2-0 loss at Watford in Moyes’ opening game after taking charge. Since then, normal service has been resumed with 4-0 and 2-1 defeats to Everton and Man City respectively. This isn’t a new problem for the Hammers – 14 of their 17 defeats last season saw over 2.5 goals, which is why we’re backing the same again here at 11/8 with Betfred.

We can see at least one of the goals coming from the in-form Hazard, who hit another two against Newcastle last week. He has three goals in five league meetings with West Ham, including two in his last three away meetings with the Hammers. We think it’s worth backing him to score any time at 7/5 with Betfair here.

Chelsea play after their rivals in the Premier League this weekend, as they travel to West Ham on Tuesday. The Blues will be aiming to build on the 10 point gap they opened up last weekend, especially as we get close to the run in. This game represents one of their biggest remaining away tests, having travelled to Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs already. The Blues haven’t found trips to West Ham easy in recent years, but how will they fare at the Olympic Stadium?

Chelsea did lose their first trip to this ground, which came in the EFL Cup back in October. That’s the only competition that the Blues have been eliminated from so far this season, as they aim to win the league and cup double in Antonio Conte’s first season in charge. Taking the points here could be a huge step forward for their aim of sealing the championship, especially as they’ll know how their rivals have done when they step out at the London Stadium on Monday night. However, you can bet that the hosts will be up for this game, seeing as they have so little aside from local pride to play for.

Team News: Conte to return to London Stadium with reinforcements

Once again Conte can pick from his full squad, but he’s unlikely to make too many changes. Cesc Fabregas started and scored against Swansea, but this might be the kind of game where Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante are needed in the middle. Otherwise, this should be the usual team taking on the Hammers. That makes quite a change from the rotated side who lost 2-1 at this ground in the League Cup. That game was one of Conte’s early outings with the 3-4-3, only with a weakened side. Can the full strength team step up and claim revenge for that defeat? Given how brilliant they’ve been since the defensive switch, they should come here full of confidence.

West Ham’s season has been hampered by injuries, and they’re still missing a few players ahead of this game on Monday. Former Chelsea man Gokhan Tore is out injured, alongside Diafra Sakho. Angelo Ogbonna is also injured ahead of this game, while key man Michail Antonio is suspended after being sent off at Watford last weekend. The former Nottingham Forest man was linked with a move across London to Stamford Bridge in January. His attacking talent and ability to play at right back made him a potential right wing back, and he would have been a real thorn in the Blues’ defence had he appeared here.

West Ham Form

West Ham have had a turbulent time since their switch to the Olympic Stadium in the summer. What should have been a bright new start for them has been very problematic, and they’ve slumped down the table as a result. They’ve won just 38% of their Premier League matches since their move to the new ground. They’ve lost just as many games, while they’ve crashed out of the Europa League and FA Cup in disappointing defeats at their new home.

Things haven’t exactly picked up for the Hammers of late, as they’ve won just one of their last five home matches. While they saw off a struggling Crystal Palace side, they have conceded nine times in two meetings with Man City. They also slipped to a defeat against Manchester United, and drew 2-2 with West Brom. This ground is far from a fortress, so the Blues should have no fear ahead of this trip.

West Ham v Chelsea Head to Head

Recent meetings between these two sides have been quite mixed, especially last season. The Hammers were on the rise last term, and that led to them taking four points in the two league matches, and they were unlucky not to win in their match at Stamford Bridge. However, the Blues opened their title push with a 2-1 win over West Ham, and they’ll be hoping to maintain their lead at the top with another victory.

• West Ham 2-1 Chelsea, 26th Oct 2016
• Chelsea 2-1 West Ham, 15th Aug 2016
• Chelsea 2-2 West Ham, 19th Mar 2016
• West Ham 2-1 Chelsea, 24th Nov 2015
• West Ham 0-1 Chelsea, 4th Mar 2015

Betting Tips

• Chelsea to win and over 2.5 goals – 11/8 with Coral
• Diego Costa to score first – 10/3 with SkyBet

The Blues come into this game as 4/7 favourites with Ladbrokes, while West Ham are 19/4 outsiders with Bet365. That clearly points towards an away win, but we aren’t going to back the leaders at that price. While their full strength team should be able to reverse that 2-1 away defeat, we can see this being another high scoring encounter between these two sides.

Both meetings between the east-west rivals this term have seen three goals scored, while the last four encounters between them have seen at least three goals. The Hammers have been conceding far too many against the top sides, with Arsenal and City both racking up five goals in their recent visits here. The Blues should be confident of scoring a couple, but they have conceded in four straight league matches. While we’re backing an away win, we’re also going with at least three goals. Chelsea to win and over 2.5 is priced at 11/8 with Coral.

One man worth keeping an eye on is wing back Victor Moses, who played for West Ham on loan last season. He’s priced at 4/1 with BetVictor to score against his former teammates. However, we think Diego Costa is the one to go with in the goalscorer markets. He’s hit 16 league goals, half of which have opened the scoring. We’re tipping him to make a quick impact at the London Stadium, as we’re backing the forward to score first at 10/3 with Sky Bet.