Chelsea vs West Ham United
London will be quite busy this weekend as Wembley plays host to the FA Cup semi-finals. But soon after, another big Premier League clash is set to take the city by storm. That match, of course, is the London derby between Chelsea and West Ham United.
Chelsea are still right in the thick of the race for the fourth and final Champions League place and can’t afford to drop any more points. Meanwhile, the Hammers are smack dab in the middle of the table and are might just be waiting to get the season over with.
Talking Points
Blues much better at the Bridge
Chelsea are coming off another convincing home performance in midweek as they battered Brighton, 3-0. Callum Hudson-Odoi was handed his first-ever Premier League start, while Olivier Giroud also got a rare chance to play in the first XI.
Both made the most of their opportunity as they connected for the first goal. Eden Hazard and Ruben Loftus-Cheek then combined for their other two goals.
The Brighton result highlights why Chelsea’s Premier League 2019 betting odds tend to be markedly better at Stamford Bridge. They have lost just once at home in the league all season, and have also won four of their last five on home soil. Their last home defeat in all competitions was against Manchester United in the FA Cup back in February.
On the other hand, their away form has been awful. They’ve lost four of their last six, with their two wins coming against a couple of teams in the relegation zone (Fulham and Cardiff).
With Giroud in decent goalscoring form of late — he has five goals in his last 10 games for club and country — it will be interesting to see whether Maurizio Sarri continues to start him over Gonzalo Higuain.
Sarri’s team selection might be the biggest factor in this match. The logical move would be for him to stick with Giroud and Hudson-Odoi, but Sarri said he still doesn’t know if the teenager will keep his place in the first XI against West Ham.
Even if Sarri doesn’t go with what appears to be his optimum starting lineup, Chelsea might still get the win given their strong home form. Although, it might not be as comfortable as it probably should be considering their advantages.
Inconsistent Hammers
There are still six matches left to go in the season, but West Ham might already in offseason mode. That certainly seemed to be the case after seeing their disastrous display in their 2-0 home defeat against Everton, which manager Manuel Pellegrini labelled as their worst performance of the season.
Their previous two results also raised similar red flags. After losing 2-0 to likely-to-be-relegated Cardiff, they went 3-1 down against bottom club Huddersfield. Although they did battle back to win 4-3, giving up three goals to a side that had scored just 15 goals all season was quite concerning.
The fact of the matter is that West Ham don’t really have much to play for anymore this season. They’re currently 11th with 42 points and don’t have much incentive to go up any higher. Perhaps the fact that this is a London derby can provide a much-needed spark to their performance.
However, it should be noted that the Hammers’ Premier League 2019 results away from home have been awful of late. They’ve lost five of their last six away matches in the Premier League, scoring just one goal during that span.
Felipe Anderson and Marko Arnautovic are also doubtful to feature due to injury. Their potential absence obviously won’t do the Hammers’ chances of rediscovering the back of the net any good.
History
West Ham have had decent success against Chelsea in recent seasons. In their last seven meetings, the Hammers have lost just once, with two wins and three draws.
However, it’s been a completely different story at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have gone undefeated in their last 12 Premier League home matches against West Ham, with eight wins and four draws.
Moreover, recent matches between the two have generally been closely contested. The last time a team has won by more than two goals was Chelsea at home back in 2014. There have also been three goals or fewer in each of the last 12 games between the two.
Betting Tip
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Chelsea vs West Ham United | Total Goal 2-3 @ 2.12 |
| April 09, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
As recent history has shown, there don’t seem to be too many goals when these two teams meet. And based on current form, it’s unlikely that that will change in this upcoming meeting. That’s why 2-3 total goals at 2.12 seems like a nice bet.
Chelsea are tied with Liverpool for the best home defence, conceding just 10 goals in 16 matches. Meanwhile, the Hammers have been pretty hapless in front of goal away from home and could be without their top two attacking weapons.
And on the other side, Chelsea should still be good for at least a couple of goals to win the match quite comfortably in the end.
SBOBET odds also have Chelsea -1.50 on the Asian handicap market priced at 1.89 if you’re so inclined to wager that way.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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