Of the three teams that currently sit in the drop zone, only West Ham United truly stand a decent chance of ascending the table and avoiding relegation. They are five points behind Nottingham Forest with 15 matches to go. Burnley are 10 points out and Wolves are 17 behind, so both of those clubs are lost causes at this point. The Hammers, however, can still salvage themselves, and it all starts on Saturday when they head to Chelsea FC.
It’s east meets west (at least in terms of London) when the Blues and Irons clash on Saturday night.
London Derby FYIs
West Ham United at Chelsea FC
Kickoff: Sat. Jan 31 5:30pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Team News: West Ham United Chelsea Part 1 Chelsea Part 2
Premier League Standings, Form: West Ham United 18th 20 pts DLLWW Chelsea FC 5th, 37 points DDLWW
Result Probability: West Ham United 16% Draw 20% Chelsea FC 64%
West Ham United Team News
No changes of note here, as Lukasz Fabianski remains out with a lower back injury. And with Lucas Paqueta, he’s still day to day, or 50/50. There are no real updates, but the last time manager Nuno Espirito Santo spoke of it (six days ago), he said this:
“The situation is the same as last week. We hope the club and Lucas find a solution… For this game against Sunderland, he is not going to be in the squad. We have to deal with the situation day by day.”
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, RG.org and Ratings.org. 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 and the Washington Post.