The race for the top 4 is the rave of the moment in the Premier League as Manchester City are very close to title triumph.
Therefore, we’ll see one of the fiercest London derbies this Saturday when Chelsea travel to the London Stadium to face West Ham.
This should be one of the biggest games ever between the two sides as they are fighting for a place in the top four to seal qualification to next season’s UEFA Champions League.
They are both tied on 55 points respectively as Chelsea sit 4th while the Hammers sit 5th. Therefore, this game has what it takes to be a cracker and one of the best games of the weekend.
The Hammers have been very impressive on their home turf and the Blues have a game on their hands. West Ham last lost at home to Liverpool in January 2021 and before then had lost to just Manchester United and Newcastle United.
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Chelsea have also been impressive away from home in recent games but have not beaten the Hammers away from home since 2017. The Blues have been inconsistent in some winnable games this season and this has made their UCL qualification chances hang on a balance.
Everyone expected Chelsea to beat the likes of West Brom and Brighton who came visiting Stamford Bridge in recent weeks. However, the Blues lost woefully to the former and drew days ago with the latter.
David Moyes and his men have shown that they have what it takes to make it to the UCL next season and should not be taken lightly.
They’ve played some high-scoring games in recent weeks and we wait to see how it goes against a Chelsea side that hardly play high-scoring games since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel.
Folks were looking forward to Thomas Tuchel’s first loss as Chelsea boss and it came shockingly against a relegation-threatened West Brom at Stamford Bridge.
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The German is yet to lose an away game since he arrived as Frank Lampard’s replacement, and this game at the London Stadium is another potential banana peel for the Blues. Could this be Thomas Tuchel’s first away loss as Chelsea manager?
West Ham will have to grab all three points in the absence of Michail Antonio and Declan Rice who are injured while Craig Dawson is suspended for the game. Meanwhile, Aaron Cresswell’s status for the game remains questionable.
For the Blues, Mateo Kovacic will be missed in the middle of the park and it remains to be seen if Thiago Silva would be fit in time for this game.
Regardless, this should be a cracker and we’re looking forward to seeing what the Hammers will offer in their quest for a place in the UCL next season. My verdict for the game is that both teams will score. For who wins? I can’t pick! London derbies can be crazy when they’re high profile.
