There’s an intriguing London derby on tap this Monday, March 6th as the weekend’s English Premier League action winds down. League leading Chelsea will make the short trip to the London Olympic Stadium to take on West Ham United. Chelsea enters the 27th round of action after beating Swansea City 3-1 at home last weekend while West Ham drew 1-1 away with Watford.
West Ham United vs Chelsea Odds – Pinnacle Soccer Betting Line:
- Pinnacle currently lists Chelsea as the favorites to win the game at -158 with West Ham +492 a draw at +318
West Ham United vs Chelsea – Head to Head:
- The two London clubs met on opening weekend of the season with Chelsea winning 2-1 at home at Stamford Bridge. They also met in the League Cup in October with West Ham winning 2-1 at home. They met twice in league action last season with West Ham winning 2-1 at home in October and the teams playing to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in March. The teams have met 107 times in the past with Chelsea winning 48, losing 39 and drawing the other 20. West Ham has won just twice in the past 22 meetings and five times in the last 33.
West Ham United – A Closer Look:
The Hammers enter the weekend as a mid-table team as they sit in ninth place on the table. They’ve racked up just 33 points out of a possible 78 though after 26 games. They have nine wins, six draws and 11 losses with 35 goals scored and 44 allowed. West Ham has five wins at home during the campaign along with three draws and five losses with 14 goals for and 22 against.
West Ham has five wins, two draws and three defeats in their past 10 league outings while scoring 17 times and conceding 13. It doesn’t look like the Hammers have any chance at a Europa League spot as they trail sixth-place Manchester United by 15 points. However, they have a decent 11-point lead on 18th-place Crystal Palace and the relegation zone.
Manager Slaven Bilic has several injury concerns to deal with as injury-prone forward Andy Carroll and defender Arthur Masuaku are both questionable while defender Angelo Ogbonna and midfielder Gokhan Tore are out for the season. Forward Diafra Sakho is also sidelined and midfielder Michail Antonio will miss the match with a suspension.
Chelsea – A Closer Look:
Chelsea still leads the Premier League with 63 points from 20 wins, three draws and three defeats with a league-high 55 goals for and 19 against. The Blues have one of the best away records in the league with eight wins, three draws and two losses this season with 19 goals for and 11 against. Chelsea leads second-place Tottenham Hotspur by 10 points, third-place Man City by 11 points, fourth-place Arsenal by 13, fifth-place Liverpool by 14 and sixth-place Manchester United by 14 points.
However, Man City, Arsenal and Man United all have a game in hand. Chelsea is now undefeated in their past nine contests in all competitions. Earlier this season they set a new club record with a 13-game Premier League winning streak which fell a game short of the league record owned by Arsenal. Chelsea has lost just twice since October 26th in all competitions, but West Ham was one of the teams to beat them.
Chelsea has seven wins, two draws and one defeat in their last 10 league outings with 21 goals for and eight against. On the injury front, manager Antonio Conte has a relatively healthy squad to choose from as goaltender Thibaut Courtois and defender David Luiz are the only question marks, but both are expected to be in the lineup.
West Ham United vs Chelsea – Takeaway
Chelsea can’t afford a loss here or their lead could realistically be reduced to just five points by Man City if City wins their game in hand.