(Football news) Chelsea will take on West Ham for the 120th time with the Hammers looking to get back-to-back home wins for the first time since October while Graham Potter’s side will want to avoid an eighth consecutive game without a win. West Ham had a disappointing end to 2022 with six defeats in seven games but have changed their fortunes around since then, winning three and drawing two of their opening six games this year.

With five points in their four Premier League matches this year, David Moyes’ team have climbed out of the relegation zone. The Hammers secured a 2-0 win over Everton after an impressive 1-1 draw against Newcastle United last weekend. The London based side are currently 17th on the table and will now face neighbours Chelsea and Tottenham in their next two matches. A victory or a draw will be vital for West Ham to remain out of the relegation zone.

As for Chelsea, the Blues have spent £300m on eight new signings in the January transfer window and the pressure is now on manager Graham Potter to get the results after being heavily backed. Chelsea have won only two in 12 Premier League matches since mid-October, dropping 24 points from 36 available and are ninth in the table, 10 points behind the top four. It’s looking more unlikely by the passing week that Chelsea will qualify for a Champions League spot as results are still hard to come by for the Blues.

In team news, West Ham’s Maxwel Cornet and Kurt Zouma are unavailable due to injury while Gianluca Scamacca is on the verge of returning to the squad after recovering from a knee problem. Alphonse Areola sustained an ankle injury against Newcastle and is a major doubt against Chelsea while Thilo Kehrer is also doubtful. Parquet a is expected to join Declan Rice in central midfield while Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen will support Michael Antonio in attack. 

As for Chelsea, N’Golo Kante (hamstring) Edouard Mendy (finger), Christian Pulisic and Armando Broja (both knee) are sidelined due to injuries while Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana (both knee), Denis Zakaria (thigh) and Mateo Kovacic (calf) are doubtful. However, Reece James and Ben Chilwell are expected to feature after recovering from their injuries. New signing Enzo Fernandez will feature in midfield while Thiago Silva and Benoit Badiashile will feature in defence.

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