
Not so long ago, Chelsea were fighting with Liverpool and Arsenal in the Premier League title race, now they are battling to clinch a place in the top four. They entertain a West Ham United side that will be looking to move further away from the relegation places.
It is not exactly a crisis happening at Chelsea, but there is some cause for concern after winning just one of their last five Premier League matches.
Their only win was a 3-1 success at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers thanks to goals from Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Cucurella and Noni Madueke.
During this run of poor form, the Blues have lost games against Manchester City and strugglers Ipswich Town, while they have dropped points in draws against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.
If Chelsea want to be pushing for titles and places in the Champions League, they need to be beating teams like West Ham, Ipswich, Palace and Bournemouth.
Cole Palmer is the player that makes Chelsea tick. If he is on top form, then the Blues look unbeatable. However, he cannot do it all on his own. If Chelsea want to be considered a force again, they need to start working hard and start helping Palmer out.
Ukrainian international Mykhailo Mudryk is still suspended following his failed drugs test, while Omari Kellyman, Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana are still out injured.
It has been a mixed bag for new West Ham United manager Graham Potter since he replaced Julen Lopetegui - who was sacked at the beginning of January.
Potter lost his first game in charge as West Ham were dumped out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa a day after he was appointed as manager.
He then claimed his first win in a 3-2 home success against Fulham in the Premier League. He has since overseen a 2-0 loss against Crystal Palace and a 1-1 draw away at Villa.
Potter will return to Stamford Bridge as a manager for the first time since he was sacked by the Blues last April. He will be eager to prove a point against his old employers.
The Hammers are still without Niclas Fullkrug through injury, while Jean-Clair Todibo and Michail Antonio are also still missing.
Chelsea and West Ham United is a heated rivalry, although the majority of the animosity comes from the Hammers section of supporters.
Chelsea have won 47 of their 109 meetings with West Ham, with 30 of them victories coming on home soil. The Hammers have won 40 matches with just 12 on the road.
These two have already met this season with the Blues running out comfortable 3-0 winners thanks to a brace from Nicolas Jackson and one from Palmer.
West Ham last beat Chelsea in August 2023 with a 3-1 home win, but they have not beaten the Blues at Stamford Bridge since 2019 when Aaron Cresswell scored the only goal of the game.
The Premier League title is out of reach for Chelsea this season, but they could still secure Champions League football for next season. They have dropped down to sixth place, but they are only one point behind Manchester City in the fourth and final Champions League spot.
Potter has some good players at his disposal and if he can get them playing the way he got his Brighton side playing, West Ham will start to pick up more positive results. They are currently in 14th place and are 11 points clear of the drop zone. A few more wins will see them extend that gap and secure their place in the Premier League for another season.
Chelsea might be out of the running for the title, but they should still have enough to get past West Ham United on home soil.
The Blues are the favourites to win this Premier League match and can be backed at 7/20 with BetMGM. West Ham are the 7/1 outsiders with the draw on offer at 17/4.
Cole Palmer is the player that makes this Chelsea team tick. He is the first player on the team sheet and it looks like something will happen every time he has the ball.
If his Chelsea team-mates had the same amount of skill and dedication that Palmer has, then they would be challenging for honours on all counts.
Palmer has scored 14 goals in the Premier League this season. That shows how influential he is. He has not scored in any of his last two Premier League matches, so we are backing him to end that run with a goal against the Hammers.
Noni Madueke is starting to show his potential in a Chelsea shirt. He has scored seven times in the league this season. He has scored in back-to-back matches against Wolves and Man City.
We expect Chelsea to win this game quite comfortably with both Palmer and Madueke getting on the score sheet. You can back this combination at 11/2.
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