Chelsea will be looking to return to winning ways when they host West Ham on Saturday. Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini is under immense pressure and defeat at Stamford Bridge could spell the end of the Chilean’s reign.
Following six straight league victories, the Blues were beaten 2-1 by Manchester City last weekend. N’Golo Kante opened the scoring for Frank Lampard’s side, but goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez turned the game around.
Chelsea dropped to fourth in the table following that defeat, but Lampard will be extremely pleased with how his team is performing this season. After winning eight of their 13 Premier League games this term, the Blues are seven points clear of fifth-place Wolves.
A well-earned draw with Valencia on Wednesday has put Chelsea in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages. They are second in Group H and face Lille at home on Matchday 6.
On the other hand, West Ham haven’t managed to win any of their last seven league games. Five defeats and two draws have seen the Hammers slip to 17th in the table – three points clear of the relegation zone.
Pellegrini’s side got off to a promising start this season, but a string of poor results has left the manager fighting to save his job. West Ham have won just three of their 13 league games this term, with their last victory coming all the way back in mid-September.
West Ham have conceded three goals in each of their last three matches. When you consider that Chelsea have scored two or more goals in five of their past seven league games, it doesn’t look promising for Pellegrini.
The team's form has coincided with the injury of first-choice goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. West Ham’s number one isn’t likely to be fit to face Chelsea, while key defender Issa Diop is suspended.
Tammy Abraham went off injured against Valencia in Chelsea’s last game, so Lampard will have to shuffle his pack in attack. Ross Barkley and Callum Hudson-Odoi are both pushing for recalls.
Chelsea have lost just two of their last 13 top-flight encounters with West Ham. The Blues have dominated this fixture in recent times and this trend looks set to continue on Saturday.
Forebet predicts that both teams will score. However, Chelsea are likely to record another high-scoring victory.
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