Premier League preview and odds: West Ham vs. Chelsea

Published on: 22/10/2015

Premier League preview and odds: West Ham vs. Chelsea

October 24, 2015 15:00pm Boleyn Ground

Premier League

Champions League contenders West Ham United will look to extend their six game unbeaten run when they take on reigning league champions Chelsea in East London on Saturday.

Hammers occupying Champions League spot

West Ham have won 14 points out of a possible 18 in their last six games and have not lost in the Premier League since August. In that time they have beaten the likes of Liverpool and Man City on their own turf. As a result of their recent form, the Hammers have risen to fourth place in the Premier League table just four points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

In the last game, they made the short trip across London to face fellow European hopefuls Crystal Palace and came away with all three points after a convincing 3-1 win. They now face another team from the capital on their own patch as Chelsea come to Upton Park looking for their second win on the trot.

All is not well at the Bridge

Despite winning their last game against Aston Villa, things are far from back to normal at Stamford Bridge. With ongoing talk of player unrest and Coach Jose Mourinho doing his best to upset as many people as possible, it could be a while before harmony breaks out in the Blues dressing room.

In the meantime, there is another game to be played and Slaven Bilics West Ham will provide a much sterner test than Tim Sherwoods damp squibs. The win against Villa was comfortable but far from comprehensive and marked Chelseas second win in six Premier League matches.

Chelsea will come into this game on the back of a trip to Ukraine where they played out a goalless draw against Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League.

Team news

The Irons are still without Winston Reid, Alex Song and Joey OBrien while Mark Noble is just one booking away from a suspension.

The Blues are without Loic Remy and Pedro who both suffered recent knocks, and Branislav Ivanovic who is out with a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois continues his long road to recovery from a knee injury.

Recent form (League)

West Ham United: WDDWW

Chelsea: WLDWL

Betting odds and tips

The bookies are making Chelsea favourites for this one but it hard to see why based on current form. The good news is that West Ham can be backed at a very generous 31/10 with Betvictor and that represents fantastic value.

The Hammers have been scoring goals from all areas of the pitch but it is Dimitri Payet who is leading the way with five goals in nine starts. You can back the Frenchman to score anytime at 7/2 with Betfred.

Published on: 22/10/2015

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (22/10/2015 16:07:16) but are subject to change.