West Ham United endured a disappointing defeat at the hands of Everton in the last match in the Premier League, courtesy of goals from Kurt Zouma and Bernard. The Hammers will look get back to winning ways against Chelsea in their next game as they travel to Stamford Bridge.
However, it would be a far from an easy task for them against the Blues as they are looking rejuvenated after their 3-0 win against Brighton and Hove Albion in their last encounter. With Maurizio Sarri’s men looking to finish off the season among the top four clubs, it is expected to be a difficult outing for their east London rivals.
Team News
Apart from the usual absentees in the form of Andriy Yarmolenko, Jack Wilshere, Carlos Sanchez and Winston Reid, there are some fresh injury concerns for Manuel Pellegrini to deal with ahead of this crucial match. Samir Nasri, Ryan Fredericks, Felipe Anderson and Marko Arnautovic are all doubts for the next game and are expected to be assessed before the encounter.
Goalkeeper
Lukasz Fabianski would be disappointed that he conceded in the last match against the Toffees, though he was not to blame for any of the goals. He will start in goal for the Chelsea match as well.
Defence
After the disappointing display by the defenders in the last outing, Pellegrini is expected to bring back Fabian Balbuena to pair up with Issa Diop in the middle of the backline. Pablo Zabaleta will start as the right-back while Aaron Cresswell is expected to put in a shift from the left side of the backline.
Midfield
After the 4-4-2 formation did not work for his side in the last encounter, especially with Declan Rice playing out of position that hindered his effectiveness, Pellegrini would look to go back to the tried and tested formation of 4-1-4-1. This formation allows Rice to display his skills as the defensive midfielder which is his natural position and he is expected to start there once again in the next match.
Mark Noble is expected to start ahead of Rice in the central midfield area with Manuel Lanzini starting alongside him. Anderson is expected to be fit in time and start as the left midfielder. Robert Snodgrass would put in a shift from the right.
Attack
With Arnautovic doubtful for the next match, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez would lead the line for the Hammers against Chelsea. He would look to revive his goalscoring form and do something similar to what he did against Huddersfield Town couple of matches ago where lead his side to a well-deserved win.
Predicted Formation: 4-1-4-1
