Chelsea will clash heads with West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening hoping to stretch their five-match winning run across all competitions. The Blues will come into this clash on the back of a narrow 1-0 win over Leicester City in the FA Cup last weekend. In contrast, the Hammers are heading into this London derby after suffering three successive losses in the Premier League.
Frank Lampard will revert to a 4-2-3-1 formation and is expected to make a few changes to his first-team for this highly anticipated derby at East London.
4-2-3-1 Chelsea Predicted Lineup To Face West Ham United
Defence
Kepa Arrizabalaga will return in the Chelsea goal after being rested against the Foxes last weekend. Andreas Christensen is a slight doubt for this game but should get a start alongside Antonio Rüdiger at the heart of Lampard’s defence if he is passed fit for this clash in midweek. The defensive pair will need to keep West Ham’s Michail Antonio in check if they are to secure another clean sheet on the road.
Cesar Azpilicueta should return to the right-back position after Lampard decided to rest him on Sunday. Marcos Alonso will get another chance to shine on the other side as the left-back. Both full-backs will not only be expected to provide an attacking outlet in the opposition half, but also have to neutralise the threat of Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen on the counter.
Midfield
Mateo Kovačić could get the nod to anchor the midfield alongside NGolo Kante as they look to establish the away side’s dominance at the centre of the park. The talented trio of Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Willian will play just ahead of them as part of the Blues attack. Both Pulisic and Willian have been enjoying a rich vein of form of late, so they will be full of confidence heading into this clash against the Hammers in midweek.
Jorginho, Pedro and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will all have to settle for a place on the bench but might get the opportunity to influence the game as the impact substitutes if required.
Attack
Olivier Giroud will once again lead the charge for the Blues up top. The French centre-forward has scored one goal in his past two league starts. However, he has struggled to convert chances in the final third and could be feeling the pressure from Tammy Abraham, who looks eager to earn a place back in Lampard’s starting XI.
This derby could be Giroud’s ideal opportunity to shine as a striker or else he might be demoted to the bench in the coming weeks.
