Chelsea vs West Ham – Match preview and team news

The Football Faithful

·3. Februar 2025

Chelsea vs West Ham – Match preview and team news

Chelsea host West Ham United on Monday night knowing a win would propel them into the top four.

The Blues fell to a 3-1 defeat at Manchester City last weekend and have had nine days to reflect on the result.

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Chelsea’s Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana are long-term absentees while Romeo Lavia is still nursing a knock. Joao Felix missed the game against Manchester City and is unlikely to feature as AC Milan near a deal to sign the forward.

What's your score prediction for Chelsea v West Ham? 🤔 #CHEWHU
– Montag, 3. Februar 2025

Graham Potter’s West Ham came from behind to earn a point away to Aston Villa last Sunday. Club captain Jarrod Bowen could make his return tonight after missing the last month of action with a fractured foot.

Lucas Paqueta’s groin injury is being monitored but Niclas Fullkrug and Crysencio Summerville are expected to be unavailable.

Konstantinos Mavropanos is back in contention after serving a one-match ban against Aston Villa. Brighton’s Evan Ferguson has completed a loan move to the London Stadium.

Chelsea vs West Ham – Match preview and team news

Form

Chelsea: DWDWL

Chelsea’s loss to Manchester City last weekend left them with just one Premier League win in their last seven matches.

The Blues could not have started any better in Manchester as Noni Madueke punished a mistake within three minutes. But poor goalkeeping errors from Robert Sanchez allowed City back into the contest.

Enzo Maresca and his players endured a challenging festive period which saw their title ambitions quickly fade away. However, a victory tonight will see them climb above Nottingham Forest and Manchester City into fourth position.

West Ham: LLWLD

Graham Potter has had an inconsistent start to life as West Ham manager.

The former Brighton manager’s first game saw his players knocked out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa in controversial circumstances.

Since then, the Hammers have beaten Fulham before a sluggish home defeat to London rivals Crystal Palace.

Last weekend, their display was far more encouraging as they battled admirably to draw at Aston Villa.

After a difficult start, West Ham equalised midway through the second half through Italian full-back Emerson. The East Londoners lie in 15th position, but three points at Stamford Bridge will see them overtake Tottenham and Manchester United.

Last Meeting: West Ham 0-3 Chelsea, Premier League, 21st September 2024

Chelsea dominated West Ham back in September to claim a 3-0 victory at the London Stadium.

The Blues flew out of the traps and got themselves in front inside the opening five minutes.

Nicolas Jackson bombarded down the left flank before slotting the ball through Alphonse Areola’s legs.

The Senegalese striker doubled his tally shortly after. A piercing pass from Moises Caicedo cut through the West Ham defence and found Jackson who made no mistake with his finish.

Crysencio Summerville then had an appeal for a penalty dismissed by referee Sam Barrott after Wesley Fofana had pulled the Dutchman’s arm.

The visitors started the second half in a similar fashion to the first with Cole Palmer netting almost immediately. A devastating counter-attack saw Jackson turn provider for the Englishman, who smashed an attempt off the near post before rippling the net.

West Ham’s desperation to breach Robert Sanchez’s net left them exposed defensively and Chelsea almost profited again. Another fast break saw Palmer find Noni Madueke whose shot was parried by Areola.

The French stopper came to the hosts’ rescue again as he clawed away a Christopher Nkunku header from close range late on. Chelsea deservedly took the three points back to West London after an accomplished performance across the capital.

Predicted Lineups

Chelsea: Jorgensen; James, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Madueke, Palmer, Neto, Jackson.

West Ham: Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Coufal, Kilman, Mavropanos, Emerson; Soler, Soucek; Kudus, Paqueta, Bowen.

Who is the referee?

Stuart Attwell will be the match official. Constantine Hatzidakis and Natalie Aspinall will assist him while Gavin Ward will be the fourth official. The VAR will be Michael Salisbury and he will be assisted by Tim Wood.