Chelsea V West Ham: Match Preview And Betting Odds

West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini is under huge pressure heading into a second consecutive London derby on Saturday. Without a win in seven matches, and having trailed 3-0 at home to Spurs before making it respectable, the Chilean needs a result at Stamford Bridge.

One advantage the Hammers will have is a few extra days rest with Chelsea playing Valencia in the Champions League on Wednesday night. It means there can be no excuses about matching their opponents for effort this weekend.

Pellegrini is still without Lukasz Fabianski due to a hip injury and it remains to be seen whether David Martin will replace Roberto in goal on Saturday.

Manuel Lanzini is out until the New Year with a broken collarbone while Issa Diop will not be available after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Tottenham.

Chelsea are expected to have Callum Hudson-Odoi (thigh) back for the game on Saturday, but doubts remain over the fitness of Ross Barkley (ankle) and Antonio Rudiger (groin).

Ruben Loftus Cheek (Achilles) and Marco van Ginkel (knee) are still on the sidelines as they undergo rehab following serious injuries.

The bookies unsurprisingly have the Blues as clear favourites. They are 2/7 odds-on at Sky Bet to get the win while a draw is 11/2 with Betfair. A West Ham victory is 12/1 at Bet365.

Predicted Score – 3-0 to Chelsea