West Ham United will be eager to return to winning ways when they welcome Chelsea to the London Stadium on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season resumes this weekend with Gameweek 5. The latest round of fixtures kicks off with a fiery London rivalry, with West Ham United hosting Chelsea at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
West Ham United have blown hot and cold in the early days of the 2024/25 season. The Hammers were among the best performers in the summer transfer window, completing some impressive signings. However, that has not reflected on the pitch thus far, with the East London outfit winning only one game in four outings while playing out a 1-1 draw with Fulham last week.
As for Chelsea, they were unimpressive in the early days under Enzo Maresca, failing to make a splash in the pre-season campaign while unfairly treating several high-profile players and academy graduates. However, after losing to Manchester City on the opening weekend, the Blues have stepped up, embarking on a three-match unbeaten run in the Premier League to rise to eighth on the table.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 3-1 win for West Ham United. Nayef Aguerd, Michail Antonio, and Lucas Paqueta found the back of the net for the home side, while Carney Chukwuemeka scored the consolation goal for Chelsea. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
West Ham United
Julen Lopetegui does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Chelsea on Saturday, the West Ham United manager might have a full-strength squad.
Lopetegui has been sweating over the fitness of Niclas Fullkrug (achilles) and Emerson Palmieri (knee). Nizaar Kinsella has claimed that the duo are doubtful for this weekend’s fixture. However, both players face late fitness tests to determine their availability.
Alphonse Areola is an automatic pick between the sticks, with West Ham United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Chelsea. The backline should feature Vladimir Coufal, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Max Kilman, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, with the latter starting as a left-back if Emerson is unfit. However, the Italian international will feature in place of Coufal if he is available.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Edson Alvarez and Guido Rodriguez in the double pivot. The duo will aim to keep things tight in the middle of the park while allowing the four attackers to play with freedom. Lucas Paqueta will reprise the no. 10 role, with Mohammed Kudus, Crysencio Summerville, and Jarrod Bowen completing the numbers in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Coufal, Mavropanos, Kilman, Wan-Bisakka; Alvarez, Rodriguez; Kudus, Paqueta, Summerville; Bowen
Chelsea
Unlike his counterpart in the West Ham United dugout, Enzo Maresca has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to the London Stadium. The Chelsea manager might be without only three first-team players on Saturday.
Reece James (hamstring) and Omari Kellyman (thigh) remain on the sidelines. However, Malo Gusto (hamstring) and Romeo Lavia (thigh) should be in the matchday squad at the very least. In addition, Enzo Fernandez and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have recovered from the illness that forced them to miss the game against Bournemouth last weekend.
Robert Sanchez will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against West Ham United. The backline should feature Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella. Axel Disasi will wait in the wings if Gusto is not fit enough to start.
As for the midfield unit, Enzo Fernandez will return to the starting eleven to pair up with Moises Caicedo in the double pivot. Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role, while Jadon Sancho will make his first start for Chelsea. Finally, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson will complete the numbers in the offensive department.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson
Key Stats
- West Ham United have alternated between winning (5) and not winning (D2 L3) in their last ten Premier League home meetings with Chelsea, beating them 3-1 at the London Stadium last term. They most recently won consecutive home league games against the Blues in the 2001/02 and 2002/03 seasons. The Blues have triumphed in 30 of their 56 Premier League matches against West Ham (D10 L16), only beating Tottenham more often in the competition’s history (35).
- Chelsea have won their last four away games in the Premier League, most recently emerging victorious in five successive matches in December 2021 under Thomas Tuchel. The current run includes both under Enzo Maresca this season, with Pep Guardiola in 2016 being the last manager to win his first three away outings in the top flight.
- Among the 17 ever-present sides this calendar year, only Everton (22) and Wolves (19) have picked up fewer Premier League points in 2024 than West Ham (23 – W5 D8 L10). All five of those victories have been against teams in the bottom half of the table, drawing four and losing seven against sides in the top 10.
- West Ham United have faced more shots than any other side across the opening four Premier League games this season. At 18.25, that is the highest number of shots they have faced per game since 2010/11 when they were relegated (18.26).
- Michail Antonio has been involved in five goals in his last six Premier League games against Chelsea, scoring three and assisting two. His next goal involvement will be his 100th in the competition, making him the first West Ham player to reach that milestone (67 goals, 32 assists).
Player to Watch
Jadon Sancho
Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, and Christopher Nkunku are all viable candidates for this section. However, we have picked Jadon Sancho as our Player to Watch after his man-of-the-match performance off the bench against Bournemouth, setting up the match-winner for Christopher Nkunku.
The Englishman blew hot and cold throughout his spell with Manchester United and will look to prove a point during his loan spell with Chelsea. So, as he gears up for his first start for the West London club, Sancho will aim to continue from where he left off last weekend by delivering the goods against West Ham United.
Prediction
West Ham United 1-2 Chelsea
Despite completing impressive signings in the summer transfer window, West Ham United remain one of the poorest teams in the Premier League this year. In addition, they have a poor record at the London Stadium, losing both their Premier League home games thus far this term.
In their league history, the Hammers have never lost their first three at home in a single season. However, they might set that record on Saturday, with Chelsea showing promising signs in the early days of the new campaign.
While the Blues are vulnerable at the back, they have dynamic attackers who can singlehandedly turn the game on its head. That should be the case this weekend, with Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke stamping their authority in the final third. While West Ham will make a valiant attempt, they will succumb to another defeat, with The Hard Tackle predicting a 2-1 win for Enzo Maresca and his charges.