Back Chelsea for Big Win

West Ham v Chelsea
Saturday February 11 2023, 07:30 ET
At London Stadium, London

Chelsea has some key players back for its latest London derby and can be backed to land a big win on Saturday against West Ham.

Who do Bettors Favor?

Checking out the latest odds at the top rated online sportsbooks Chelsea looks like the strong favorite with bettors to come back from East London with a win. The Blues are priced as a +136 chance to win the game, while West Ham can be wagered at +230 and the draw is quoted around +235.

West Ham v Chelsea
West Ham	+235	+230	+230
Draw	+240	+226	+235
Chelsea	+136	+127	+135

West Ham Improving

Ahead of the crunch game with Everton last month, the reports were that West Ham head coach David Moyes was facing the sack if his team lost. In fact, it was Everton’s Frank Lampard, who had to fall on his sword, as the Hammers earned a crucial 2-0 win.

That victory could signal that West Ham is improving after a prolonged spell in the doldrums, although there is a long way to go as the team lies in 16^th position and has been below halfway throughout.

The victory over Everton was a solid foundation for a draw against Newcastle, and those results mean that West Ham has gained as many points over the last two matches as it did in the nine before that. In particular Moyes will be hoping that the Hammers can record another home clean sheet.

Chelsea Struggling for Goals

Chelsea’s decision to bring in the former Brighton head coach Graham Potter to replace Thomas Tuchel initially appeared to be working, as the Blues started brightly under his tenure. It all started to unravel, however, when Potter’s men travelled to Brighton and lost 4-1. That defeat led to a terrible run of two points from five games going into the World Cup break and with little improvement since then, Chelsea goes into this weekend’s fixtures in ninth place.

There are some positives. Chelsea is looking strong in defense, and has the third best defensive record in the division, level with Manchester City. Its problems are at the opposite end of the pitch where the team is struggling for goals. In fact, Chelsea has scored only five goals in its last seven games int the league and will need to drastically improve that record to climb the table.

EPL Betting Head-to-Head

Good natured London derbies are rare, and even though the map of the capital does not immediately suggest a natural rivalry between West Ham and Chelsea, this fixture is fiercely competitive, even during those years when Chelsea has been the stronger team. This may have something to do with the social and cultural differences between the relatively poor East End and the wealth of Chelsea, but the fact that both clubs have had notorious hooligan problems has exacerbated it.

The first meeting between these teams was in 1923, which is late by English standards. That match ended in a 0-0 draw, and the rivalry has continued to be a close one, aside from one spell, coinciding with the arrival of Roman Abramovich at Stamford Bridge, in which Chelsea won 11 out of 13 fixtures.

The full head-to-head record reveals that Chelsea has a small edge over West Ham, with 54 wins to 43 for the Hammers, with 22 games ending in draws. Chelsea also earned the win last time the two teams met, in September, when late goals by Ben Chilwell and Kai Havertz secured the three points.

EPL Team News

West Ham will once again be missing some important players here. Kurt Zouma, though expected back in the team soon, is not ready for this game, while both Alphones Areola and Maxwell Cornet are both still missing. There is more optimistic news about forward Gianlucca Scamacca, however, who could play.

After suffering a nightmare run with injuries, the team news for Chelsea is looking a little brighter. Ben Chilwell, Reece James and Raheem Sterling took a part in the Fulham game and all of them may start here, along with Wesley Fofana, who has recently returned to full training.

Mykhailo Mudryk came off injured against Fulham, but is back in training may be fit enough to play, and we can expect to see Joao Felix in action after the end of his red card ban.

EPL Match Betting Pick

The recent form of these two struggling rivals would suggest a low scoring fixture between two teams that don’t have a lot of confidence and that struggle to create chances. While that remains possible, we can’t overlook the return of some key creative players for Chelsea.

The addition of that attacking edge to the Blues’ recent defensive strength means that there is some potential for a much improved Chelsea performance here, and if there is to be a Chelsea revival, this would be the perfect venue to launch it. Back Chelsea win in the Match Betting market.

Chelsea To beat West Ham

+136

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