From one London derby to another for Chelsea FC, as they’ll visit West Ham United in Premier League week two. The opening week underwhelmed as Chelsea stalemated Crystal Palace, a side with a payroll that is about a third the size of their wage bill is. They should fare better against West Ham, a side that had a much worse opening week than the Blues.
Losing to a newly promoted side is always bad, and it’s really trouble when you lose 3-0. At least that’s how it looks on paper, but of course, football matches aren’t played on paper.
London Derby FYIs
West Ham United vs Chelsea
Kickoff: Fri. August 22, 8pm, London Stadium
West Ham United Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Chelsea Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Google’s Result Probability: Chelsea 57% Draw 23% West Ham United 20%
PL Standing, Form: Chelsea 11th, 1 pt, D West Ham United 19th 0 pts, L
Enzo Maresca has a very deep and talented squad, let’s take a look at who he might pick for his first team in this one.
We don’t think Tosin Adarabioyo will be fully match fit in time for this one, so we left him out. We also swapped out Estevao for Neto, for what that’s worth.
Chelsea FC Starting Lineup Prediction at West Ham United
Robert Sanchez; Reece James, Josh Acheampong, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella; Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Esteavo, Cole Palmer, Jamie Gittens; Joao Pedro
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