Chelsea will host West Ham United for a London derby on Sunday afternoon, hoping to get back on track in the Premier League.
The Blues are currently in third place, five points ahead of Arsenal in fifth place, while West Ham are in seventh place, five points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Preview
Chelsea appeared to be certainties for a top-four finish in the Premier League this season not long ago, but the Blues will now be looking over their shoulders, as the difference between them and fifth-placed Arsenal is just five points, despite the Gunners having a game in hand.
Thomas Tuchel’s side also have a game in hand on fourth-placed Tottenham and two games in hand on sixth-placed Manchester United, putting them in a great position to finish third. However, the capital club is coming off a 4-2 loss to Arsenal on Wednesday night.
The Blues qualified for the FA Cup final with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace last weekend, but they have lost three of their past six games in all competitions, including two of their last three at Stamford Bridge against Brentford and Arsenal.
Off-the-field matters appear to be distracting the players, but they must concentrate on what they can control this season, since they still have seven Premier League games to play, as well as the FA Cup final against Liverpool next month.
The Blues’ next match is against Manchester United on April 28, and a poor performance against West Ham would raise warning bells, as it would be unimaginable for them to finish outside of the top four after being in control of a Champions League spot for much of the season.
West Ham are presently seventh in the Premier League table, two points behind sixth-placed Manchester United and five behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who have a game in hand.
The Hammers are unlikely to finish in the top four this season, but they can still qualify for next season’s Champions League by winning the Europa League. In that competition, the capital club will face Eintracht Frankfurt over two legs, with the first match taking place next week.
West Ham has only won one of their last four Premier League games, picking up only a single point from their last two games, the last of which came against Burnley at home.
Between now and the conclusion of the season, David Moyes’ team will face Arsenal, Norwich City, Manchester City, and Brighton & Hove Albion in their final four encounters, with three of those matches likely to have a lot riding on them.
West Ham has 21 points from 16 Premier League away matches this season, and they are looking to complete a league double over Chelsea after beating them 3-2 at London Stadium in December. The Hammers last triumphed at Stamford Bridge in November of this year.
Team News
Mateo Kovacic, Ben Chilwell, and Callum Hudson-Odoi are all out this weekend for Chelsea, while Antonio Rudiger is also out with a groin problem.
Despite picking up a knock against Arsenal, Andreas Christensen appears to be fit, but the Denmark international could be relegated to the bench, as Tuchel is anticipated to rearrange his lineup for this encounter.
Thiago Silva and Trevor Chalobah might both return to the back four, while Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, and Jorginho are also anticipated to return, with Romelu Lukaku set to pull out after struggling to make an impact against Arsenal on Wednesday.
Issa Diop and Kurt Zouma have lately joined fellow centre-back Angelo Ogbonna on the sidelines for West Ham, posing a major challenge for Moyes in terms of selecting a back two this weekend.
Declan Rice might be moved back into the centre of the defense to partner Craig Dawson, with Pablo Fornals and Manuel Lanzini in midfield alongside Tomas Soucek
Nikola Vlasic is set to drop to the bench at Stamford Bridge, with Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma likely to operate in the wide areas and Michail Antonio in the center.
Possible Lineups
Chelsea’s possible starting lineup: Mendy; James, Chalobah, Silva, Alonso; Jorginho, Kante; Mount, Ziyech; Havertz, Werner
West Ham United’s possible starting lineup: Fabianski; Johnson, Dawson, Rice, Cresswell; Bowen, Fornals, Soucek, Lanzini, Benrahma; Antonio
Prediction
We will go with a 3-1.
Chelsea faces a difficult match, as the Blues have struggled at home in recent weeks. West Ham have major defensive issues ahead of this game and will be focused on their match against Frankfurt next week, but we have a feeling the Hammers will do just enough to secure a point at Stamford Bridge.
Kick-off Time
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Kick-off time: 2 pm
TV channels: Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League
Live stream: Sky Go (available online as an application)
