David Moyes is probably managing as well as he ever has at any of his long career this season. Currently with his sixth club, the 57-year-old Scotsman has led West Ham United, who finished just out of the drop zone last season, to the thick of it in the top four race.
What’s most impressive is how he’s been able to keep the Hammers in the mix for a Champions League spot, despite all the injuries they’ve suffered to key players. It looks like he’ll be missing a couple more star men this weekend when they host Chelsea in an absolutely huge London derby.
Chelsea FC at West Ham United FYIs
Kickoff: Sat April 24, 5:30pm, London Stadium
Team news for both sides: go here
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction: go here
Odds: Chelsea (-120), West Ham (+350), Draw (+260)
PL Position, Form Guide: Chelsea 4th, 55 pts DWLDW Brighton 5th, 55 pts LLWDL
This game is definitely worth more than just three points, as the winner (as long as it doesn’t end in stalemate) will gain a huge boost in the race for Champions League qualification.
We probably won’t know more about the team news situation until tomorrow, when Moyes meets with the media, but given the information that’s out there, here’s the lineup prediction we’re going with, in this a battle of two teams that should likely start out in a 3-4-2-1 formation.
West Ham United (3-4-2-1) Starting XI Prediction vs Chelsea FC
Fabianski; Ogbonna, Diop, Cresswell; Coufal, Noble, Soucek, Johnson; Fornals; Bowen, Lingard
Prediction: Chelsea 1, West Ham United 0
Tuchelball achieves a gritty, defensive-oriented road win over a talented, deep, but still injury riddled side.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.