West Ham to grab another impressive result
Chelsea host London rivals West Ham United in the sole Monday evening Premier League match, with just a single point separating the sides after the home side's late defeat last time out set back their inexorable march into the top four. David Moyes has far exceeded the admittedly meagre expectations most pundits and fans had for him in 2020/2021 thus far, and are in the right half of the table at the time of writing. There's little reason to suggest they're not capable of coming away from Stamford Bridge with another positive result. Read our preview here:
Christian rhymes
Frank Lampard will need his troops to shake off their disappointment at losing to Wolves whilst requiring some improved individual performances from some of the more vaunted names on the teamsheet. Kai Havertz hasn't yet made the transition from his match-winning performances with Bayer Leverkusen in midfield, and Christian Pulisic has yet to replicate the form in the right-sided forward berth he enjoyed with fellow Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund. One or both could be dropped for the match, with Timo Werner also not impressing at the moment, but it's unlikely he'll face the axe. Olivier Giroud or Tammy Abraham will lead the line, and will hope for the same high standard of service from the full-backs that has been feature of the campaign, especially with the raking balls behind the opposition defence.
Haller if you need me
Sébastian Haller scored arguably the goal of the season thus far in the home game against Crystal Palace, which will have done wonders for the Ivorian striker's confidence. He'll be coming up against a very experienced duo at the heart of the Blues' rearguard, but can rely on some productive wingplay to back him up. Tomáš Souček has formed an excellent partnership of his own with Declan Rice, and both members of the double pivot like to progress the ball and join in the attacks. This will be an encounter where the Hammers can expect to be dominated in possession, but that might actually be to their advantage if they can get in between the lines. Angelo Ogbonna will be tasked with keeping Giroud quiet, and he will have stick close to the target man if he drops off to create space for his teammates.
Hammer down on this
Despite the uptick in results, Moyes doesn't tend to get the credit due to him or his players, partly because it's a campaign that's thrown up many unexpected outcomes already. Both he and Lampard's men are in a chasing pack behind Liverpool that is incredibly congested. The nature of the pandemic continues to squash the calendar, and even the agreements in place to use extra subs aren't helping tip the balance in favour of the bigger clubs as much as had been anticipated. Both these teams have had a little longer than has been usual to recover from their previous fixture, and the spectacle should be improved as a consequence. 888sport are offering odds of 4.75 for a draw, which is certainly not outside the realms of possibility.
