West Ham United VS Chelsea - Prediction

The Premier League weekend begins on Friday night with a London derby as West Ham United host Chelsea at the London Stadium. Both teams enter the game looking for their first win of the new season. West Ham opened their campaign with a heavy 3-0 defeat against newly promoted Sunderland. It was a disappointing start for Graham Potter, who took charge of the Hammers in the summer. Chelsea also failed to win on the opening weekend, but they were at least solid in defense. Under new manager Enzo Maresca, the Blues drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace. While the clean sheet was a positive, the lack of attacking spark is a concern. Maresca believes his side will be better as the days go on. He said, "For sure, with more time, we will be better and better."

Stats&Facts

• Chelsea have lost four of their last eight away games against West Ham United in the English Premier League. However, they won their last meeting against the Hammers at London Stadium.
• A win would see Chelsea winning two consecutive away games against the Hammers for the first time since the 2014-2015 season.
• West Ham United have won only one of their last seven meetings with Chelsea while losing 5.
• West Ham have a record of losing the first two league games in 8 previous seasons. Only Southampton lost the first two games of the season than the Hammers.
• If West Ham can keep a clean sheet tomorrow, it would be the first time since 1996 that Chelsea would fail to score in each of their first two league games.

Team News

West Ham's summer signing Callum Wilson already made his debut as he played a few minutes against Sunderland in the second half. However, he is likely to play from the start against Chelsea tomorrow. More changes are expected following their heavy defeat last week. Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez, and Andy are in contention to play in the midfield tomorrow. As for Chelsea, Levi Colwill still remains out of the team due to his injury, while neither Benoit Badiashile nor Tosin Adarabioyo is able to recover from their respective injury. However, Nicolas Jackson is back again after serving a three-match ban, but Joao Pedro is likely to start instead of him. Possible Lineup for West Ham United: Hermansen; Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd; Wan-Bissaka, Alvarez, Soucek, Diouf; Bowen, Wilson, Paqueta Possible Lineup for Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Acheampong, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo; Neto, Palmer, Estevao; Joao Pedro

Prediction: Chelsea 1-0 West Ham

Chelsea’s recent dominance over West Ham and their improved defensive shape under Enzo Maresca suggest they have the edge in this London derby. While goals may be hard to come by, the Blues still have enough creativity in midfield to beat the Hammers’ defense. West Ham will fight hard in front of their fans, but their lack of attacking options could hold them back.

Betfair Odds

West Ham: 5.00 Draw: 4.10 Chelsea: 1.75 Visit 96ex to get real-time Betfair Odds and a flat 5% commission on winning bets!