On Saturday at noon, when the two teams square off in the Premier League, it will be the 120th time that West Ham United and Chelsea have met.
The Hammers are attempting to win consecutive home games for the first time since October, while the Blues are attempting to avoid losing their eighth straight-away match.
West Ham had a dismal year in 2022, finishing with six losses in seven games across all competitions. However, they have since turned their season around, winning three and drawing two of their first six games of 2023.
As many points as they had in their previous eight Premier League games were amassed in their first four games this season, and recent results have allowed David Moyes’ team to escape the relegation zone.
Indeed, after a tense 1-1 draw away to Champions League contenders Newcastle United last weekend, a 2-0 home victory over fellow underachievers Everton was followed by a club-record signing by Lucas Paqueta, who scored just his second goal of the year to offset Callum Wilson’s opening goal.
West Ham, who are currently in 17th place and are only one point above the relegation zone, are getting ready for back-to-back London derbies against Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, but recent years have shown that the Hammers have difficulty winning against their local rivals.
The only exception during this run was a 3-2 home victory in December 2021, and Moyes will be eager to see his side replicate that performance on Saturday as they attempt to move further away from danger. In fact, the Clarets and Blues have lost eight of their last ten London derbies and four of their last five matches with Chelsea.
Chelsea’s focus now goes to on-field performances after a record-breaking January transfer window in which they spent more than £300 million on eight new arrivals. Graham Potter is entrusted with changing the club’s poor run of form and making the most of the many players at his disposal.
Chelsea has only won two of their last 12 Premier League games since mid-October, losing 24 of the 36 points that could have been earned in the process. As a result, they are now ninth in the standings, 10 points behind the top four.
The West Londoners’ hopes of making the Champions League for the following season are dwindling each week, and a scoreless draw against Fulham at home last Friday did not help matters. Once again, the West Londoners’ lack of a cutting edge in the final third cost them dearly.
The Blues have only found the back of the net 22 times in total from 21 top-flight games this season, fewer than 12 other teams including the likes of Leicester City and Leeds United in the bottom half of the table. In fact, Chelsea have scored just seven goals in their last 12 Premier League matches, as many as in Potter’s first three league games in charge.
Even though Chelsea has struggled to score goals so far this season, they have had no trouble doing so against West Ham in recent matches. In fact, they have scored in each of their previous six meetings with the Hammers, doing so at least twice on four of those occasions.
For the first time since April 2011, the Blues are attempting to win three straight games against Moyes’s team, but they are going to East London on Saturday having won only twice in their previous eight trips there.
Maxwel Cornet (calf) and Kurt Zouma (thigh) of West Ham are both out due to injury, while Gianluca Scamacca is getting closer to his comeback after being photographed practicing this week.
Alphonse Areola, who had a hamstring injury in the lead-up to last weekend’s draw with Newcastle, is a serious doubt for Chelsea’s visit, and Thilo Kehrer, who left the game at St. James’ Park at halftime with a hamstring problem of his own, are both questionable for Saturday.
Ben Johnson might be recalled to the back three in the event that Kehrer is out, but other than that, Moyes is unlikely to make many adjustments to his starting lineup.
Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen may continue to support Michail Antonio in attack, while January acquisition Danny Ings will be vying for his first start for the Hammers. Paqueta is anticipated to partner in-demand captain Declan Rice in center-midfield.
While Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana, Denis Zakaria, and Mateo Kovacic are all questionable and will be evaluated before kickoff, N’Golo Kante (hamstring), Edouard Mendy (finger), Christian Pulisic, and Armando Broja (both knee) are still out with injuries for Chelsea.
Reece James and Ben Chilwell, who had been absent due to injury, made their first appearances of 2023 in the draw with Fulham, giving the Blues a lift. Both full-backs will be in the running to start on Saturday.
After serving a three-game suspension, Atletico Madrid loanee Joao Felix is also eligible for selection. He, along with Noni Madueke, will compete to start ahead of either Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, or Mykhaylo Mudryk, who all started in attack the last time out.
signing of British records After making his complete debut against Fulham, Enzo Fernandez is anticipated to stay in the center of the field, and Thiago Silva and Benoit Badiashile are anticipated to keep their defensive partnership.
