Chelsea v West Ham odds : The Blues look to repel a new look Hammers strikeforce in title pursuit
Latest Chelsea v West Ham odds, plus up to date team news and match preview from Stamford Bridge (KO 19:45GMT).
Chelsea are considered 1/5 favourites to beat West Ham as Mourinho relies on trusted regulars to dispose of a new-look Hammers squad.
The January transfer window always sees some of the mid-table Premier League clubs change shape as they bring in new reinforcements and West Ham will certainly take up a new look when they head to Stamford Bridge and face Chelsea.
Chelsea |
1/5 |
Draw |
6/1 |
West Ham |
16/1 |
It will no doubt be business as usual for Jose Mourinho as he looks to elevate Chelsea into top spot for the first time this season with a win and other results going their way.
There aren’t many new injuries for Chelsea to worry about going into the clash with West Ham meaning that Fernando Torres and Marco Van Ginkel are the only injury concerns for the hosts.
However, Mourinho could be tempted to rest some of his top players to ensure that they are fit for next week’s clash against Man City which could lead to the likes of Demba Ba and John Obi Mikel starting against The Hammers.
Mourinho will certainly be confident going into the clash having never lost against West Ham at Stamford Bridge whilst Chelsea haven’t been beaten by The Hammers at home in the league since 2002.
West Ham’s struggles have been publicised well throughout the past few months and The Hammers will know that even a draw could be enough to lift them out of the relegation zone.
It could well be possible now that the club has the necessary firepower to do it with Italian strikers Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello expected to make their debuts on Wednesday night.
On top of that, Kevin Nolan will also be back in the line-up after returning from a four match ban giving Sam Allardyce the opportunity to experi`ment with his attacking options for the first time this season.
The additions in attack are much needed and everyone at the club will hope that it turnarounds their poor shot percentage with only 35% of their shots hitting the target this season – the worst form in the entire league.
Although the additions upfront will give West Ham some much needed confidence, they will need more than just that if they are to upset Chelsea in any way at Stamford Bridge.
