Chelsea face West Ham United for the third time this season. The Blues will look to avenge their EFL Cup exit in front of a hostile London Stadium crowd.
Chelsea have lost their last two matches away to West Ham. An EFL Cup tie in October 2016 and a Premier League fixture in October 2015 both went 2-1 to the Hammers. Despite Chelsea having played the Hammers twice already this season, West Ham has yet to face the side that sit atop the Premier League.
The Blues know – Antonio Conte surely reminded them – how important every match is to maintaining momentum and margin towards the title. Arsenal and the Manchester clubs have conceded their title chase. However, Chelsea’s most dangerous opponent – Tottenham – is just waiting for Chelsea to make a mistake.
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The Blues can permit no such thing. Here are our predictions for Monday night’s derby.
Travis Tyler: West Ham 0 – 3 Chelsea. West Ham will look dangerous until Pedro scores in the 7th minute. Then Chelsea will bombard West Ham for the remainder, and the Irons will be extremely lucky to only concede 3 goals as Chelsea burst their bubble(s).
Scott Brant: 0 – 2. Surely Cesc Fabregas has to get a consecutive start. With a deserving MOTM last time out, look for him to direct the attack and help Diego Costa out of his funk. He will also aid Eden Hazard in building upon his brilliant performance against the Swans.
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Rayna Sidhu: 1 – 2. As the last title-chasing team to play this week, the pressure will be somewhat visible. The Blues will work hard to secure the points, with goals from Pedro and Costa. The Blues will rely on N’Golo Kante and Cesc Fabregas to keep things firmly in control. Andy Carroll will nab a late consolation but the visitors will come out on top.
Andre Carlisle: 1 – 0. Double, double toil and trouble and all that. The dark arts already did part of their job by possessing Michail Antonio for two silly yellows in West Ham’s last match. Keeping Victor Moses and Cesar Azpilicueta away from aerial duels with Andy Carroll will be important but should not be all that hard. Eden Hazard (if fit) and Diego Costa should have the space they need to get into top form for the run ahead. 3-0 Chelsea.
Brendan McDonnell: Andy Carroll is, by some measure, my favorite non-Blue player. Anyone who misses three games after pounding Jagerbombs and fell off a stool is a hero of mine. Oh, actual analysis? Fine… West Ham has been very good against the bottom half of the table and awful against the top. So, as much as I may cheer for the ponytailed marvel, Chelsea wins pretty handily. This has a 2-0 look but a 7-0 feel.
Ben Croft: 1 – 2. Andy Carroll is bound to score – he loves playing against Chelsea. Kurt Zouma should play to combat Carroll’s aerial threat but Antonio Conte probably will not do that.
Daniel Mcclue: 1 – 3. West Ham have caused the Blues some trouble in the previous two fixtures this season. Of course, one game was in the EFL Cup, the other was before Conte has successfully transformed the team into a cohesive beast. Costa scores in the 12th minute, Carroll in the 21st. Then Hazard in the 73rd and Willian seals the deal in the 80th.
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