Pacesetters Chelsea will look to continue their stay at the top of the Premier League table when they visit the London Stadium to face West Ham United on Saturday.
The Blues are on a 12-match unbeaten streak which started with a home win against Southampton in the Premier League. Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by Manchester United last weekend but the Thomas Tuchel coached side proved their mettle by defeating Watford 2-1 in their midweek fixture.
Though Chelsea have by their side, they will know that they would have a tough outing against West Ham United. West Ham United are fourth in the league and have caught the Premier League world by storm.
The Hammers bounced back from their defeat against Manchester City last weekend with a 1-1 draw against Brighton mid-week. They would have won the game had it not been for a later Brighton equaliser.
West Ham’s most showpiece win this season has been their 3-2 win over Liverpool in the Premier League. Other than the win over Liverpool, West Ham’s other notable wins have been over Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United across Premier League and the EFL Cup.
West Ham United vs Chelsea – Team News
West Ham United
Angelo Ogbonna has been sidelined with a knee injury. His return to the West Ham lineup is going to take a while He is the only player with a long term injury.
Aaron Cresswell had to be substituted after 60 minutes after he sustained an injury. The injury forced West Ham boss David Moyes bench Cresswell against Brighton. If Cresswell does make it back to the West Ham XI then Vladimir Coufal could drop down to the bench.
This is the only major change that Moyes could make in the team.
Chelsea
Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kanté, Ben Chilwell and Trevoh Chalobah are all nursing long term injuries and have been ruled out of the match. Reece James is doubtful as he missed the match against Watford.
The good news for Chelsea is that Jorginho — who netted the penalty against Manchester United — is fit to start in this match.
In absence of Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kanté, Mason Mount could play a deeper midfield role. Tuchel could also play Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Ross Barkley.
If James fails to clear the fitness test then Cesar Azpilicueta could be required again at right wing-back.
Marcus Alonso after missing six league games, started against Manchester United and played for 77 minutes and featured for all 90 minutes against Watford. He could again start but he could be taken off for Callum Hudson-Odoi to manage his workload.
Romelu Lukaku is slowly returning to his peak fitness and should make the Chelsea lineup after a lengthy injury layoff. He played for eight minutes against Manchester United and for 21 minutes against Watford.
West Ham United vs Chelsea – Predicted Lineups
West Ham United Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Cresswell, Kurt Zouma, Craig Dawson, Ben Johnson, Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek, Pablo Fornals, Saïd Benrahma, Jarrod Bowen, Michail Antonio
Chelsea Predicted Lineup (3-4-2-1): Édouard Mendy, Andreas-Christensen, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rüdiger, César Azpilicueta, Mason Mount, Jorginho, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Romelu Lukaku
West Ham United vs Chelsea – Key Players
West Ham United – Michail Antonio
Except for West Ham United’s away trip to Old Trafford, Michail Antonio has featured in all other thirteen fixtures and has not been substituted in those matches. Antonio’s high game time highlights his importance to the team. He has scored six goals and has been assisted four others in 13 league appearances.
Chelsea – Mason Mount
With four goals and an equal number of assists in the Premier League, Mason Mount has been involved in the most goals for Chelsea. Mount would be pleased to have played the full 90 minutes against Watford. It was his first full game since Chelsea’s 7-0 thrashing of Norwich at home in which he scored three and assisted a goal. But after fine show against Watford, Mount will hope to last the full stretch of 90 minutes against West Ham and be involved in more goals.