It’s that time of year again. The time of year where the fixtures come thick and fast. The time of year where squad rotation is a must. The time of year that can make or break your season.
That’s right, it’s the wild Christmas period in the English Premier League. Hot on the heels of Gameweek 14, Gameweek 15 kicks off with a London derby that pits league leaders Chelsea take on 2021/22 season surprise packets West Ham United.
West Ham vs Chelsea FYIs:
Kick-off time: 12.30 PM GMT, 4th December 2021
Starting XI Predictions: West Ham Chelsea
Premier League Preview Pod: go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): West Ham (WLWLD) Chelsea (DWWDW)
The Hammers have hit a bit of a rough patch and really need a positive result against the Blues. After riding high in 3rd place after defeating Liverpool at the Olympic Stadium in London, West Ham has gone on a poor run in the league only picking up 1 of the last 9 points on offer.
Both sides’ season stats suggest that they are evenly matched. They have had an almost even amount of shots, the Blues unsurprisingly are slightly ahead however in converting those shots into goals having scored 33 to the Hammers 25.
Now it’s time for me to gaze into my crystal ball to see if I can predict the XI that will start against the league leaders for West Ham United.
In goals, I think that Lukasz Fabianski will start. I think he might be rested during this hectic run of fixtures, but it won’t be in this match. Alphonse Areola continues to wait to make his Premier League bow for the East London club.
In defense, I see a bit of a shake-up happening in the center half positions. I think Kurt Zouma will keep his spot. Craig Dawson, on the other hand, might not be so lucky. I think it’s time to give Issa Diop a run and it could be the right time to give him that chance.
The full-back positions will likely remain the same. Ben Johnson performed admirably on the left against Brighton and Vladimir Coufal was back playing at right-back – and regular readers will know how much I rate him in that position. So no need to change anything in that department.
Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek will definitely line up in the defensive midfield pivot. Soucek was great against Brighton and got a goal to his name to boot.
Both of these players are world-class and will be eager to show it against Chelsea.
Pablo Fornals will play just ahead of them. The urge to rest players will be strong, but if the Hammers are any chance to steal something here, they’ll need their best players on the pitch.
With that in mind, the attacking triumvirate will remain the same. Michail Antonio will lead the line with Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen flanking him to his right and left respectively.
Even with their best foot forward, it’s going to be an uphill battle for the Hammers against Chelsea and I don’t like their chances. I’m going for a win for the Blues.