Premier League giants Chelsea will be eager to get back to winning ways in the competition when they welcome David Moyes’ West Ham United to Stamford Bridge on Monday evening. The Blues, despite having been one of the in-form teams in the league for a number of weeks now, have dropped off the pace slightly over the course of the last two fixtures. Frank Lampard’s men first lost to Everton by a 1-0 scoreline on the weekend, before conceding a late winner to Wolverhampton Wanderers in their midweek outing as well.
Despite these apparent blemishes, the London club still find themselves in a fairly solid position, from where a title challenge is still certainly plausible. Not only are Chelsea in a good place on the league table, but they have also secured qualification into the next round of the UEFA Champions League, where they are set to face off against Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16. Prior to the Everton defeat on the weekend, Chelsea were actually unbeaten in 17 fixtures, and if that’s the Chelsea side that shows up against the Hammers, the visitors could have quite the challenge on their hands.
Team News
It was just a few weeks earlier that it looked like Chelsea were finally edging back towards a full-strength roster, but the injuries to Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi have come as a massive spanner in the works. The English starlet has been a regular part of Lampard’s rotation plans and does have an important part to play. Hakim Ziyech’s absence has clearly hit the Blues quite hard, in that their creativity in the final third has depleted considerably in the last two outings.
Here Is The Predicted 4-3-3 Chelsea Lineup Vs West Ham United:
Predicted 4-3-3 Chelsea Lineup Vs West Ham United
Defence
Edouard Mendy has now conceded three goals from his last two fixtures in between the sticks, in what is his worst spell as a Chelsea player so far. Despite these slight blemishes, expect the Senegalese international giant to keep his place as the Blues’ custodian for this clash. In front of the keeper, the same centre-half pairing that conceded two against Wolves is expected to be given the nod, consisting of Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva. The full-back slots could once again be taken up by the English duo of Ben Chilwell and Reece James.
Midfield
Kai Havertz has been given opportunities in the team over the last couple of weeks by Lampard, and its safe to say that the German has failed to live up to the massive hype. Although the former Leverkusen man is likely to drop down to the bench, it takes nothing away front the quality that he possesses. Croatian international Mateo Kovacic is the man who should replace him in the eleven, with Mason Mount expected to operate alongside the former Madrid man in the engine room. World Cup winner N’Golo Kante is set to retain his place as the midfield anchor.
Attack
Although Olivier Giroud stepped up and scored a goal for Chelsea in the defeat to Wolves, his contributions in the final third were frustratingly limited. Lampard should hence opt to bring Tammy Abraham back into the eleven, with the French veteran expected to drop down to the bench. Timo Werner is one player whose form seems to be taking a downward trend. Despite this, the German is likely to keep his place on the flank, with American international speedster Christian Pulisic expected to bombard down the opposite side.
