West Ham vs Chelsea Preview

Unfortunately, Man Utd and Arsenal produced a five goal thriller on Thursday. They are two average sides with a huge amount to find with the top three. Two of the current top 4 are in action on Saturday afternoon at the London Stadium. West Ham vs Chelsea kicks off at 12.30 and it is a fascinating showdown. The Hammers are the underdogs at 19/5 and Chelsea are chalked up at 5/6. The draw is a best price of 57/20. Will Moyesie’s men close the gap at the top, or can Tuchel’s Blues stay at the summit of the Premier League? Check out our big match preview and betting tip below.

West Ham

David Moyes’ side are proving that last season’s exploits were no fluke. They eventually finished 6th, just 2 points off 4th, and they are on course to better that performance. The Hammers currently sit 4th on 24 points and they can close the gap to Chelsea at the top to 6 points with a win. When you consider they have taken just 1 point from the last 9, it really was a tremendous start.

West Ham have already lost twice at home this season, to Brentford and Man Utd. However, they have beaten Spurs and Liverpool so they are more than capable of getting the job done on their own patch. In their last outing Moyes’ men were held to a 1-1 draw vs Brighton. They only conceded the equaliser with a minute to go but in fairness to Brighton, they deserved to take a point.

Only Ogbonna is definitely absent for West Ham with Cresswell a doubt. Craig Dawson will replace the Italian centre back and he has plenty of experience. Moyes tends to stick to the same starting eleven whenever possible so he is unlikely to make many changes to the side that drew with Brighton. With Kovacic and Kante still injured the midfield battle will be pivotal and if West Ham are to pull off the upset, Rice and Soucek could hold the key.

Chelsea

While Liverpool and Man City have been producing sensational displays in recent weeks, it hasn’t been as easy for Chelsea. Thomas Tuchel’s men have been showing signs of creaking and they were lucky to get the win vs Watford in midweek. It was 50/50 possession, Watford had 14 shots to Chelsea’s 8 and 6 corners compared to 0 for Chelsea. Tuchel admitted his team were second best afterwards and they’ll need to improve massively on that performance this afternoon.

Chelsea had previously drawn 1-1 with struggling Man Utd. They had the lion’s share of possession but they wasted too many chances and they needed a Jorginho penalty to grab an equaliser and nick a point. It is only two weeks since they were so dominant at Leicester (3-0) and Juventus (4-0), so what has changed?

It is pretty obvious really. Kovacic and especially Kante have been missed and Ruben Loftus Cheek just isn’t up to their level. Jorginho hasn’t looked the same player without either of his regular partners and they are unlikely to return to the fold any time soon. While they are absent, this Chelsea team is vulnerable and it could be profitable backing against them until Kante (or Kovacic) is back fit.

West Ham vs Chelsea Possible Lineups

West Ham: Fabianski, Johnson, Dawson, Zouma, Coufal, Soucek, Rice, Benrahma, Fornals, Bowen, Antonio.

Chelsea: Mendy, Silva, Rudiger, Christensen, Alonso, James, Jorginho, Loftus Cheek, Havertz, Mount, Lukaku.

West Ham vs Chelsea Betting Tip

Chelsea remain at the top of the table but unless they improve on recent displays, they won’t be there for much longer. Injuries are starting to pile up and they are without Kante, Kovacic, Chilwell and Chalobah on Saturday. Tuchel will have to change things up again and with Liverpool and City breathing down their necks, Chelsea will be feeling the pressure to win and stay on top this afternoon.

West Ham, on the other hand, will relish this fixture. They have nothing to lose really as most expect Chelsea to get the win. David Moyes won’t think that though and his players will be looking to hit the same heights they reached in their magnificent win over Liverpool. Fornals is playing brilliantly, as is Rice, and I think The Hammers can put it right up to Chelsea. 19/5 looks a big price about the home win given the visitors’ recent struggles and that is the recommended bet.

West Ham vs Chelsea Betting Tips: West Ham win @ 19/5

-DaveStevos