5 Chelsea vs 0 West Ham United
Chelsea face West Ham in London Derby battle for European places.
Chelsea aim to assert dominance in the race for European spots as they clash with city rivals West Ham in a crucial mid-table London Derby at Stamford Bridge this Sunday.
Chelsea
Chelsea moved one spot up the Premier League table after their midweek 2-0 win over Spurs. Goals from Trevoh Chalobah (24’) and Nicolas Jackson (72’) helped the Blues end a two-game winless run, leaving Chelsea with 51 points (14W, 9D, 11L), three points adrift of 6th-placed Manchester United.
Sunday’s mid-table London derby clash between Chelsea, in 8th place, and West Ham, in 9th, presents an opportunity for Chelsea to establish themselves as favorites to finish in the European places. A Chelsea victory would widen the gap between both sides to five points.
Chelsea have lost just one of their last 17 home league games against West Ham United (12W, 4D, 1L), a 1-0 defeat in November 2019 under Frank Lampard. However, the Blues have won just one of their last 13 Premier League matches played on Sundays (1W, 5D, 7L), a 3-2 win over Brighton in December.
Pochettino will be hoping this fixture doesn't amount to another ‘Black Sunday’ for the Blues. "We are going to play a team that is so strong physically. They’re having a fantastic season also, competing in Europe," he added.
The 52-year-old, who had called for 'stupid rumors' over his future to stop, is expected to keep the attacking side seen in Thursday's 4-2-3-1 against Spurs. Nicolas Jackson will lead the line, supported by the attacking trio of Cole Palmer, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Noni Madueke.
West Ham United
West Ham, with 49 points (13W, 10D, & 12L), will be looking to put an end to a three-game winless run when they take on Chelsea. The Hammers, who have an average of 1.86 goals per match, picked up a 2-2 draw against Liverpool last time out.
A win for West Ham, who are also in the race for European places, would leave the club with their third-ever Premier League double over Chelsea, having achieved the feat in 2002-03 and 2019-20.
“We’re playing Chelsea, who have enjoyed lots of success in recent years and won many trophies. It says a lot that we’re competing with them for a European place, and I think for us to be where we are with three games to go is good,” David Moyes said.
The 61-year-old manager is not expected to alter the 4-2-3-1 formation seen against Liverpool, leaving Michail Antonio, who scored a fabulous header against the Reds, in attack.
Team form
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Team Comparison
Side-by-side assessment of team statistics, including goals, attacks, and more. This allows you to directly compare key performance metrics. Analyzing these stats can reveal patterns and strengths that might influence the outcome.