Chelsea to add to West Ham's woes
There is no love lost between Chelsea and West Ham but they are currently at opposite ends of the table. Can West Ham finally turn their season around or will Lampard’s men who bounce back from defeat at the Etihad? Have a read of our preview here:
Chelsea must bounce back
Losing at Manchester City is not the end of the world or every Premier League team would be in meltdown at least once a season (unless you are Wolves who actually won at the Etihad).
Chelsea’s problem is they lose to the other ‘big’ clubs and added City to a list that already contains Manchester United and Liverpool.
In fact, their last four Premier League defeats have been against last season's top six, including all three so far this season.
It means they need to beat the teams they would normally be expected to best but with a squad a lot less experienced.
That doesn’t mean they can’t do it as this is a very talented Chelsea side, but it adds a little bit of pressure to the situation which is not something the team have had to deal with this season.
Frank Lampard has successfully shielded his players from any of the pressures normally associated with playing for Chelsea but with their early success has seen this build of its own accord.
At home the Blues are very strong with only Liverpool leaving Stamford Bridge with three points and even then it was a close game. West Ham will have their work cut out if they are to return to East London with a positive result.
Getting hammered
West Ham are on a terrible run. They last won in the Premier League back in September when turning on Christmas lights seemed like a long way off. The defeat to Tottenham last weekend was slightly better than the previous week’s hammering at Burnley but they conceded three for the third straight game.
West Ham have picked up just two points from their last 21 available in the Premier League.
Manuel Pellegrini is under real scrutiny and the fans are fed up with poor performances. West Ham’s move to the London Stadium was meant to hail a bright new era for the club but, so far, it has been a struggle which has seen many pining for the atmosphere of Upton Park.
Chelsea vs West Ham betting tip
You can’t see this game being for the faint-hearted as there is bound to be plenty of chances. West Ham’s recent defensive woes makes it hard to see them getting a win at Stamford Bridge which is why we are backing this one to finish with over 2.5 goals at odds of 4/9.
Post bet chat James's Tips:
This one was quite a surprise - not only because West Ham won but also because a solitary strike was enough to decide it.