It may seem a bit bass ackwards (yes, that is a spoonerism done on purpose so that we don’t swear; this is a family friendly website) to preview West Ham United at Chelsea FC right now, on a Thursday, when the came transpires on Monday. Especially when you haven’t even covered some of the Sunday matches yet.
However, it’s just the way it works out now, given all scheduling quirks that come with all this insane fixture congestion.
London Derby FYIs
Kickoff: Mon. Feb. 3, 8pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
West Ham United Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Google Result Probability: Chelsea 71% Draw 17% West Ham 12%
Premier League Standing: Chelsea 6th, 40 pts West Ham 14th 27 pts
When you set your schedule for match previews, obviously, you got to wait until the midweek action is complete first. Chelsea was off today because there is no Conference League slate this week.
And West Ham didn’t qualify for Europe, so thus, we don’t have to wait for any UEFA competition results before previewing.
Blues Team News
Wesley Fofana (hamstring), Mykhailo Mudryk (suspension), Benoit Badiashile (thigh), Omari Kellyman (thigh) and Romeo Lavia (thigh) all remain absent.
Otherwise there are no new team news items to discuss at this time.
Starting XI Prediction
Robert Sanchez; Reece James, Tosin Adarabioyo, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella; Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo; Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer; Nicolas Jackson
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.