After a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Watford in midweek, Chelsea will travel to London Stadium to encounter city rival West Ham United in a crucial Premier League encounter on Saturday afternoon.
Thomas Tuchel’s side is holding on to the top spot after the first 14 rounds of games with 33 points. However, the distance between the first and the third is very slim as Liverpool are only two points behind the Blues in third.
On the other hand, coming into this fixture, the Hammers are in the fourth spot with 24 points in 14 games. However, David Moyes’ side hasn’t had a great time since defeating Liverpool last month as they have only accumulated one point in the last three encounters in the Premier League.
How Chelsea could line up against West Ham United:
Chelsea has had a few injury problems ahead of the game. However, the good news will be that the in-form wing-back Recce James will be fit to start the game after passing the fitness test.
Meanwhile, Edouard Mendy will keep his place between the sticks and will start on Saturday afternoon. In front of the Senegalese keeper Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta should start. The young defender Trevoh Chalobah will have to remain sidelined due to a hamstring problem.
Reece James will be on the right wing-back position and Marcos Alonso could be on another side. In midfield, Jorginho should be paired with Ruben Loftus-Cheek as N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic will be sidelined for injuries.
Mason Mount should continue in the attacking midfield position and alongside the Englishman, Hakim Ziyech might return to the starting eleven.
Having made a couple of second-half appearances, Romelu Lukaku should be allowed to start the game after regaining full fitness.
Chelsea predicted line-up against West Ham United(3-4-2-1):
Edouard Mendy; Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger; Reece James, Jorginho, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Marcos Alonso; Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech; Romelu Lukaku
Prediction:
West Ham 1-2 Chelsea
Despite creating plenty of chances in the last few games. Chelsea has struggled to finish their opportunities and that has four points against Manchester United and Burnley. The return of Romelu Lukaku will help the Blues to convert big chances. However, after a long injury layoff, it will be interesting to see how the Belgian can perform against a solid West Ham defence.
