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Chelsea welcome West Ham United to Stamford Bridge on Monday, February 3rd, 2025, in one of the key matches of this round in the Premier League. Coming into this match with fluctuating forms and ambitions, both teams ensure this match would be very interesting. Chelsea currently lie 6th in the Premier League standings and will be keen on ensuring they seal all three points to keep their top-four hopes alive, while West Ham are 15th and desperately need a good result to lift some pressure from relegation.
Chelsea's Need for a Bounce Back
Chelsea's recent form has blown hot and cold. The Blues have blown hot and cold at times, winning a game with solidity before inconsistencies were an issue in others, most recently a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City. Chelsea, who started bright as Noni Madueke netted early in that game, were undone by defensive errors-most prominently from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Defeat left them with just one victory in their past seven Premier League matches, an alarming statistic for a club professing to harbor hopes of a top-four finish this season.
With only nine days of reflection since the defeat against City, Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca waits for his Chelsea to respond in a more apt manner. That defeat has left Chelsea a few points away from fourth-placed Nottingham Forest, and it means victory against West Ham this weekend will again see them jump into the top four to maintain their quest to qualify for Champions League football quite alive. But the key to success for Chelsea will be the fact that they make sure they can defend much tighter while continuing with their attack with real intensity, which they have managed at times this season.
### Chelsea have the quality to dominate possession and create chances, but they will need to avoid lapses in concentration that have cost them in recent games. The squad has continued with a litany of injury problems-for which Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana are long-term absentees while Romeo Lavia is still being nursed due to a knock. Joao Felix, absent during the defeat to City, will most likely also miss this game as reportedly he is off to join AC Milan. Of course, players like Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, and Cole Palmer will indeed be the mainstays in Chelsea's aspiration to attain the result sought with midfield dominance that will go a long way toward deciding this tie against the backline they would want to unsettle.
West Ham Looking to Find Much-needed Consistency
On the contrary, West Ham United have become victims of ups and downs this season. After an atrociously poor start to the season under Graham Potter, who took over from David Moyes as manager, there have been flickers of recovery by the Hammers, but nothing really convincing. The important point gained in last week's 1-1 draw against Aston Villa managed to stem a spate of disappointments which came in the shape of defeat against Crystal Palace and a FA Cup exit at Villa. The Hammers haven't been able to string a streak of some sort together and have found themselves stuck in the lower half of the table the entire campaign thus far, and the team lies in 15th place.
Despite those struggles, there's some hope for West Ham. The return of club captain Jarrod Bowen from a foot injury will doubtless be a big boost, while pace, work rate, and goals will also play an important part in terms of the Hammers's attempt to exploit any frailties in the Chelsea backline. This may also be dependent on the inclusion of Brazilian playmaker Lucas Paquetá, who has battled to get game time due to his groin issue. A somewhat mediocre attacking armory for West Ham, and without the inclusions of the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug, Bowen and Paquetá will have to contribute a dent, along with Mohamed Kudus.
Defensively, West Ham need to firm up if they are to pose any kind of test to this strong Chelsea attack. They have leaked goals this season and will need to be organized and disciplined at the back against Chelsea's in-form attacking players this coming Sunday. Konstantinos Mavropanos is back after being banned for one match, which should give them more depth in defence, but how the Hammers' backline will cope against an in-form Chelsea attack is anybody's guess.
Tactical Battle: What to Expect
Of course, this is a tactical battle. Chelsea, however, are far superior on the pitch and thus probably would do business with possession football to try to dismantle West Ham United's backline. Caicedo and Fernandez will be tasked with managing the tempo of the game from the middle of the park, dictating pace, while the likes of Madueke and Palmer will pose pace and creativity that would give West Ham's backline lots of problems. Width, though, would be very crucial, especially with Chelsea's wing-backs in Reece James and Marc Cucurella, to pull the West Ham backline.
West Ham Utd must, for their part, be more pragmatic. They are expected to sit back before hitting them on the break with Chelsea's full-backs pushing forward to leave space in behind. The pace of Bowen and the ingenuity of Paquetá will be their best hope if the Hammers are going to transition from defence to attack as fleetingly quick as possible. The Hammers must be tight at the back, especially in the middle of the park, where Chelsea's midfield love to dominate.
Most of the good chances that West Ham get are going to come through set pieces-a department in which they have been pretty dangerous this season. Guys like Mavropanos, Tomas Soucek and his headed ability, could become really important in trying to break the Chelsea backline-especially if Chelsea get caught with men pushed up the pitch. A set-piece goal may be that critical chance West Ham needs to steal one or perhaps take an upset victory.
Head-to-Head and Recent History
Chelsea have bossed things of late against the Hammers. Chelsea have won each of their last four meetings with West Ham at Stamford Bridge, netting 11 and conceding only once in those games. The sides last met back in September 2024 when Chelsea ran in as comfortable winners against their London rivals 3-0 away at the London Stadium with Nicols Jackson and Cole Palmer both finding the back of the net. Chelsea looked clinically placed for an attack against the vulnerable defenses of West Ham on that occasion.
West Ham will, however, take some solace from their brilliant record against the top six sides this season. Their league position may not reflect it, but the Hammers have been good enough to cause bigger teams trouble this season, and Chelsea will certainly not be taking them lightly. Potter's West Ham do tend to rise to the occasion in big games, and Stamford Bridge is bound to be an incredibly tough venue for the visitors.
The Key Players
Chelsea will have attacking players in the limelight to break down the West Ham resistance. Noni Madueke, who has been sparkling this season, is going to be their main man in an attacking sense to get through West Ham's defenses. His pace and dribbling will be important as it stretches the Hammers' defense to accommodate his other colleagues. Caicedo and Fernandez, in that regard, will be very important in midfield to run the game at high tempo and build up into attack. Chelsea need their midfielders at their passing best, no doubt, with speed and precision.
They need Bowen's return from injury, as his goalscoring and assist potential are important in making sure the Hammers are always potent enough to threaten Chelsea's defense. Paquetá will bring creative energy to the West Ham side despite the injury fears over him, while Mavropanos's return in the back appears to be a stable linchpin that they have been missing.
Conclusion
This Chelsea-West Ham game means everything for either side. Chelsea, still nursing fresh wounds from defeat at the hands of Manchester City, look to continue their charge for a top-four finish, while West Ham are in dire need of points not to be dragged into the relegation fight. With strong and weak links on both teams, this promises to be entertaining and unpredictable. Chelsea will go into this game as favourites, but then again, it is a derby, and West Ham will be itching to show their mettle and hold their own against the very best of the Premier League. This could well prove a very important result for both, and that perhaps makes this an enticing fixture that all Premier League fans would definitely look out for.
Monday, February 3rd, 2025 Kick-off time: 20:00 GMT at Stamford Bridge.