West Ham United got the new season started on the absolute wrong foot. They fell 3-0 to newly promoted Sunderland, in a result that truly was as bad as that sounds. Hammers boss Graham Potter didn’t have the summer transfer window that he wanted, nor the kind of preseason that he might have hoped for. Now opening day didn’t go the way that he would have liked either. Welcoming in Chelsea FC is not the way to get right either.
After all, the Blues are the “world champions.” Yes, it’s debatable how serious we should have taken the Club World Cup, but they did win it.
London Derby FYIs
West Ham United vs Chelsea FC
Kick: Friday August 22, 8pm, London Stadium
West Ham Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Projection
Chelsea FC Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Projection
Google Result Probability: Chelsea FC 57% Draw 23% West Ham United 20%
League Standing, Form, Goal Differential: Chelsea FC 11th, 1 pt, D, 0 West Ham United 19th, 0 pts, L, -3
So they are in fact, reigning “world champs.” Potter and company better bring their A game for this one.
West Ham United Starting Lineup vs Chelsea FC
Alphonse Areola; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Max Kilman, Nayeuf Aguerd, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Kyle Walker-Peters; James Ward-Prowse, Tomas Soucek, Lucas Paqueta; Jarrod Bowen, Nicklas Fullkrug
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