An old-fashioned London derby will wrap up the opening weekend of the Barclays Premier League when West Ham travel to Chelsea in an intriguing first fixture for both sides.
The Blues will be out to rectify the wrongs of a calamitous title defence last season, as Antonio Conte’s side aims to climb the Premier League table following a 10th-placed finish in 2015-16. Things could not go much worse for Chelsea and while optimism is abound at Stamford Bridge for a more positive campaign, they will have to face a significant test to get their run off to the best possible start.
In one of the most memorable Premier League seasons, West Ham were one of the biggest surprises under first-year manager Slaven Bilić. Now, with a new stadium, 12 extra months under the manager and Dimitri Payet going around again, the Hammers have cause to hope for improvement after last year’s encouraging finish, which yielded Europa League qualification.
Key Battle – John Terry vs Andy Carroll
Chelsea’s typically formidable defence was in disarray last season, conceding their most amount of goals for almost 20-years after being rock-solid in their 2014-15 League win. One of the key players who faltered in the backline was captain John Terry, who was the subject of questions over his future during the offseason.
The Blues’ back four will be posed a familiar challenge when they face a familiar foe in Andy Carroll, who scored on both occasions when the sides met last year. Carroll will also come into the game full of confidence after scoring a brace against Juventus in West Ham’s final friendly last week, and could have the service of Payet, Sofiane Feghouli and Andre Ayew to feed off.
Team News
Chelsea alternated between two systems over preseason, settling for a 4-1-4-1 in their win over Werder Bremen last week. N’Golo Kanté will provide some much-needed solidity in midfield, while Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Willian are the ever-presents in attack. The big question looks to be who will be favoured for the final midfield spot, with Oscar keeping Cesc Fabregas out of the team against Bremen and Conte seemingly favouring the physicality of Nemanja Matic.
After an interrupted club preseason following his exploits at Euro 2016 with France, there is speculation as to whether Dimitri Payet will start for the Hammers – as manager Slaven Bilić admitted he will not play the full 90 minutes. Record signing Ayew, plus fellow newcomers Feghouli and Nordtveit could all mark their debuts for their new club, however, Aaron Cresswell and Manuel Lanzini will miss through injury.
Head-to-head
Chelsea hold the advantage overall with 47 wins from 105 meetings, with West Ham winning 38 of them (20 draws). However, the Hammers had the upper-hand last year, taking four points from two games.
Previous Meeting
In an entertaining encounter at Stamford Bridge, the Bluess needed a brace from Fabregas to snatch a late 2-2 draw and give West Ham’s top four hopes a hit. Carroll continued his goal-scoring form against the Londoners with his second in as many matches, but it was a controversial 89th minute penalty which prevented Bilic’s men from doing the double over the-then reigning champions.
Prediction
Chelsea have historically been one of the best starters in the Premier League and will be out to erase the memories of last season. With question marks surrounding both Payet’s match fitness and the Blues’ ageing defence, expect a typically fiery London derby with both sides well and truly searching for the best possible start to their new campaigns.
Chelsea 2 West Ham 1
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