Team
news, stats and prediction ahead of West Ham vs Chelsea in the Premier
League on Saturday; kick-off 12.30pm.
Team news
West Ham are likely to still be without Aaron Cresswell for the visit of
Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.
The left-back missed the draw with Brighton on Wednesday with a back problem
but has returned to doing some light training. Angelo Ogbonna remains
sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury.
Reece James and Jorginho have handed injury-hit Chelsea a double fitness
boost.
England wing-back James has shaken off an ankle concern, while Jorginho is
back to full fitness after a recent knock.
Chelsea still do not know the extent of Trevoh Chalobah's hamstring problem,
but the defender will definitely miss Saturday's West Ham trip, while Mateo
Kovacic (hamstring), N'Golo Kante (knock) and Ben Chilwell (knee) will also
be absent this weekend.
Opta stats
West Ham have won three of their last six home Premier League games against
Chelsea (D1 L2), as many as they had in their previous 14 such games against
them in the competition (D3 L8).
Chelsea did the league double over West Ham last season. They last won three
in a row against them in the Premier League between March 2010 and April
2011.
West Ham have lost two of their last four Premier League London derbies (W1
D1), as many as they had in their previous 10 such games (W4 D4). However,
they won their last derby match in the competition against Spurs, last
winning consecutive meetings with London clubs in January 2019 (a run of
three).
Chelsea have won their last seven away league London derbies, an all-time
record in the top four tiers of English football. The Blues have kept six
clean sheets in this run, with their only goal conceded coming via Christian
Benteke in April.
West Ham are winless in three Premier League games (D1 L2), last having a
longer run without a win in their final four matches of 2020 (D3 L1).
Chelsea have made 50 changes to their starting XI in the Premier League this
season, the most by a side after 14 matches of a season since Man Utd in
2009-10 (also 14 games); the only team to make 50 earlier into a season was
Man Utd again, in 2001-02 (12th game).
With five goals and five assists, Michail Antonio has been directly involved
in 10 goals in his last 10 Premier League London derby appearances. Antonio
is the only West Ham player in Premier League history to register double
figures for both goals (11) and assists (10) in London derby matches.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has won eight of his nine Premier League
London derby matches (L1), with the Blues scoring 17 and conceding just
twice in these games. In English top-flight history, the German has the best
win rate in such games among managers to take charge of more than one (89%).
Against no side has Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku scored more Premier League goals
than he has against West Ham (9). He could become the seventh player to net
double figures against the Hammers in the Premier League, which would be the
most opposing players to score 10+ against a side in the competition.
West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek scored his 15th Premier League goal last
time out against Brighton and Hove Albion, with only Michail Antonio scoring
more for the Hammers (25) since Soucek's debut in February 2020. Only three
Czech players have ever scored more goals in Premier League history: Patrik
Berger (38), Milan Baros (28) and Tomas Rosicky (19).
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