Chelsea Match Preview
Under David Moyes, West Ham United have previously had a good record at home to Chelsea, but now he faces new Blues’ Head-Coach Graham Potter, who has never lost in East London. The Scotsman will hope to put an end to that particular statistic in today’s early kick-off.
West Ham feel that they have a score to settle and will be looking for revenge after having Maxwel Cornet’s late equaliser ruled out by referee Andrew Madley following a check on the pitchside monitor back in September’s reverse fixture.
Potter has already won in Stratford this season, as his Brighton and Hove Albion side achieved a 3-0 victory back on 21 August and he will be hoping to repeat the trick in this London derby.
The Hammers have once again been overtaken by Leeds United in the Premier League table after the Yorkshire club surrendered a two-goal advantage to take a point from Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night. This means that the Irons are now in seventeenth place. However, With Leeds playing the reverse fixture against the Red Devils on Sunday afternoon, together with the East Londoners kicking the weekend’s action off, they can put further distance between themselves and the bottom three with a win here.
Moyes’ men go into this game having picked up a vital point at Newcastle United last weekend but face a Chelsea side who have had one more day’s preparation ahead of this encounter, as the Blues were involved in a goalless draw at home to Fulham last time out and haven’t won since the home victory against Crystal Palace back on January 15.
The East Londoners will be hoping that their visitors will have their minds focused on the upcoming return to UEFA Champions League action and the encounter away at Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in just five days time.
With Thilo Kehrer having suffered a hamstring injury in the first half of the draw with the Magpies last weekend, either Aaron Cresswell or Ben Johnson will come into the defence, while Emmerson Palmieri is hoping to retain his place against his former Club.
Lucas Paquetá is set to remain in the starting line-up after levelling the match up on Tyneside last time out. Michail Antonio will start his sixth straight game, as Gianluca Scamacca hasn’t recovered from a knee injury. Danny Ings will also be pushing for a first start since joining the club on January 20.
It remains to be seen whether Alphonse Areola will be back in the matchday squad after the Frenchman missed last week’s encounter in the North-East due to a hamstring injury.
The match is a 12:30pm kick-off and it will be screened by BT Sport with main match build-up from 11:30am and other programmes about the Hammers are available from 10am. The referee is Craig Pawson.