West Ham – Chelsea : Preview & Prediction
Manager David Moyes will be hoping West Ham can take momentum from what he described as “one of our best performances of the season” as they continue to battle against relegation. A 1-1 draw at St James Park against high-flying Newcastle on Saturday means his side have lost just one of their last six games in all competitions (G3, E2), moving away from the Premier League (PL) relegation zone in the process.
The Hammers will be hoping to improve on that at home, where they ended a run of four consecutive defeats by beating Everton 2-0 last month. Moyes will not be happy to see Chelsea visit London’s Olympic Stadium, having suffered more defeats to them than to any other club apart from Arsenal, with 26 losses in 45 games (G7, E12).
The Blues will be hoping to add to the Scot’s misfortune, but all is not rosy at Stamford Bridge as Graham Potter’s side are on a run of one win in their last seven games (E3, P3), including consecutive 0-0 draws. Even a £300 million-plus spend in January has not been enough to rectify their performance, with the club’s points total of 30 from 21 PL engagements being tied as their second worst at this stage in any season this century.
That means Potter is under a lot of pressure, especially as his winning percentage of 41% is the lowest for any manager (excluding interims) at Chelsea since Glenn Hoddie, who was dismissed from his services in 1996. At least he can boast three consecutive clean sheets (G1, E2), and a win at the London Olympic will keep the Blues in the race for a European competition spot as they look to close a nine-point gap to fifth place in the table.
Players to watch: West Ham goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański has lost 14 times in 21 clashes against Chelsea (G4, E3), conceding 42 goals in the process. They will be trying to stop Raheem Sterling, who returned from injury last weekend and has recorded more league wins against the Hameers than against any other opponent, scoring eight goals in the process (G13, E2, P2).
Standout Fact: West Ham have won just two of their last nine PL games (E2, P5) played on a Saturday at 12:30 PM (London time), although one of those was a 3-2 win over Chelsea in December 2021.
West Ham – Chelsea : Betting Tips
OVER 2.5 GOALS Odds: 2.25
