English Premier League Soccer - West Ham United vs. Chelsea, 7/1/20 - Preview, Prediction & Odds
A three-game losing run takes 17th-placed West Ham United to a home contest against London rivals Chelsea, who have won five straight matches in all competitions. Kick-off - at 15:15 PM ET on Wednesday, July 1.
West Ham Lose Three Straight
The current losing streak of West Ham United extended to three Premier League games after the team was beaten with a score of 2-0 by their London neighbors Tottenham Hotspur at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday. Spurs, who had a first-half strike disallowed by VAR because of offside, took a 1-0 lead through an own-goal by Hammers’ midfielder Tomas Soucek before Jarrod Bowen struck the post for the visitors with 12 minutes remaining, only for Tottenham to add their second moments later. Having lost seven consecutive road games in the EPL for the first time since December 2006, West Ham remain 17th in the league (W7 D6 L18), level on points with 18th-placed Bournemouth and 19th-placed Aston Villa.
French forward Sebastien Haller leads the Hammers with seven Premier League goals, but remains doubtful for Wednesday’s clash because of a hip injury. Goalie Lukasz Fabianski, meanwhile, sits 19th in England's top division with 53 saves. He has collected four clean sheets in 18 appearances this season and gives up a goal every 57 minutes on average. West Ham has netted the 13th highest quantity of goals this year (35) while taking the 16th highest amount of shots per game (10.3). The team is 16th in ball possession (45.2%) and 15th in passing accuracy (75.8%).
Chelsea Extend Winning Streak
The current winning streak of Chelsea extended to five games in all competitions after the team stretched out its unbeaten run to six contests (W5 D1) following two victories in a matter of four days last week. The Blues banked their third consecutive triumph in the Premier League after beating Manchester City 2-1 at home at Stamford Bridge on Thursday before reaching the semi-final of the FA Cup for the 10th time in the 21st century (a joint-record with Arsenal) following a 1-0 win over Leicester City at King Power Stadium on Sunday. Chelsea will face Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final on the weekend of 18 and 19 July, and remain 4th in the league (W16 D6 L9), trailing 3rd-placed Leicester by a single point.
English striker Tammy Abraham leads the Blues in scoring, having buried 13 Premier League strikes so far this season. Spaniard Kepa Arrizabalaga, meanwhile, occupies the 21st position in the league’s goalkeeper chart, having turned away 46 shots this year. He has picked up six clean sheets in 27 appearances during the ongoing campaign and allows a goal every 71 minutes of play. Chelsea is 4th in most league goals netted this season (55), 2nd in most shots delivered per game (16.6), 3rd in ball possession (57.1%), and 2nd in passing accuracy (84.8%).
Prediction
After beating Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in November, West Ham United now stand a chance of completing their first league double over the Blues since 2002-03. Having said that, the Hammers have been shockingly bad lately, dropping eight of their previous 11 league contests (W1 D2 L8), currently riding a three-game losing streak, having failed to score a single goal for 306 minutes. The team has also lost all three previous home London derbies this season, while Chelsea are on the verge of winning their fourth straight road London derby for the first time since April-November 2009, banking their sixth successive triumph in all competitions overall. Back the Blues to win this one without conceding a goal!
Best bet:
Chelsea to win to nil (+185)