Chelsea vs West Ham United predictions and betting tips – Important London derby

Chelsea have started well under Liam Rosenior, who is targeting a top-four finish after taking charge earlier this month.

West Ham United, for their part, have picked up thanks to back-to-back wins.

Will Chelsea prove too strong for West Ham in this London derby, or can Nuno Espirito Santo’s side make it three victories on the bounce?

• Back Chelsea to win and over 2.5 goals – 10/11 with Tote
• Tip both teams to score – 5/7 with 247Bet
• Choose Joao Pedro to score any time – 5/4 with 247Bet

Chelsea vs West Ham United odds

Find the latest Chelsea vs West Ham United betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.

Chelsea vs West Ham United predictions

It is fair to say Liam Rosenior’s appointment as Chelsea manager earlier this month was not met with a groundswell of enthusiasm among the club’s supporters.

Chelsea fans have long been suspicious of their owners. Rosenior, who formerly coached sister club Strasbourg, is widely seen as a company man.

Given the lukewarm reaction of the fans, it was vital that the former defender got his managerial tenure at Stamford Bridge off to a positive start.

He has done just that. On Wednesday Chelsea secured a top-eight finish in the Champions League by beating Napoli. In the Premier League, in which he will be judged more than any other competition, Rosenior has won two games out of two.

That is not to say Chelsea were flawless across those 180 minutes. They certainly rode their luck at times in a 2-0 victory over Brentford in Rosenior’s first match in charge.

Chelsea were more deserving of their three points against Crystal Palace last time out, but their opponents created a fair few chances throughout, and they rallied towards the end of the match despite having only 10 men on the field.

Yet while performances do matter over the longer term, the most important thing for Rosenior was to get a few wins on the board early on. That box has been ticked.

There is still work to do, however. Chelsea are fifth in the Premier League, but Sunderland in 11th place are only four points back. All it would take for the Blues to start tumbling down the table is three or four sub-par results in a row.

With the top three of Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa each possessing a substantial lead over the teams below them, there is only one remaining guaranteed Champions League qualification spot for the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United to fight over.

There will no doubt be plenty of twists and turns between now and May, but Chelsea must do all they can to, at the very least, remain within touching distance of the top four.

West Ham United need a positive result on Saturday for very different reasons. The Hammers have renewed belief in the relegation battle following back-to-back victories over Tottenham Hotspur (2-1) and Sunderland (3-1).

They are still five points adrift of safety, however, and Nuno Espirito Santo’s charges remain third-favourites for the drop behind Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley.

Chelsea vs West Ham United betting tips

Bragging rights – and plenty more – are up for grabs when Chelsea face West Ham United.

Chelsea to edge it

This will not be an easy game for Chelsea. West Ham United have eased some of the pressure on their shoulders with those recent wins, and they may relish being underdogs at Stamford Bridge.

The Hammers have also had a full week to prepare for this encounter, whereas Chelsea were in Italy on Wednesday night.

Nuno has gone with an attacking line-up of late and that has given West Ham more of a threat in attack.

This is therefore likely to be an entertaining game featuring three or more goals. Overall, though, we expect Chelsea to edge it.

Back Chelsea to win and over 2.5 goals at 10/11 with Tote

West Ham scoring goals

Nuno is thought of as a defence-first manager who knows how to set up a team to be hard to beat.

He has struggled to tighten things up at West Ham United, however, and the Portuguese now seems to have flipped his strategy.

Nuno is essentially playing with four attackers at the moment: Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville out wide, and Pablo behind Taty Castellanos up front.

Chelsea have been giving up chances in recent weeks and West Ham should be able to find the back of the net for the fourth game in a row in all competitions. 

Tip both teams to score at 5/7 with 247Bet

Pedro on target?

Joao Pedro has had his ups and downs this season. With Liam Delap fit again, he is not a guaranteed starter.

Pedro was integral against Crystal Palace last weekend, though, scoring Chelsea’s second goal and winning the penalty that put them 3-0 up. He also struck twice against Napoli on Wednesday.

The Brazil international has scored eight league goals this term, which is more than any other player who joined a new club last summer.

Pedro is likely to feature from the start against West Ham United, whose vulnerable defence will have to keep a close eye on him.

Choose Joao Pedro to score any time at 5/4 with 247Bet

Chelsea vs West Ham United predicted lineups

• Chelsea expected lineup: Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Estevao, Palmer, Neto; Pedro.
• West Ham United expected lineup: Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Todibo; Soucek, Fernandes; Bowen, Pablo, Summerville; Castellanos.

Where to watch Chelsea vs West Ham United

• Location: Stamford Bridge, London, England.
• Date and time: Saturday 31st January, 5.30pm.
• How to watch: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. 

More Premier League predictions

We have plenty more Premier League predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

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