West Ham vs Chelsea Preview

West Ham v Chelsea
Saturday 25 April 2009,
Upton Park
Kickoff: 15:00

West Ham

West Ham United drew 1-1 on the road with Aston Villa in their last league match. In their last five, the Hammers have won one, drawn three and lost one, picking up six points from the 15 on offer.

West Ham are currently seventh in the league, trailing sixth placed Everton by eight points and are one point clear of eighth placed Fulham.

West Ham are likely to be without Jonathan Spector, Scott Parker, and Radoslav Kovac for the match.

Chelsea

Chelsea drew 0-0 with Everton in their last league outing. In their last five, the Blues have won three, drawn one and lost one, picking up ten points from a possible 15.

Chelsea are currently third in the league, three points behind second placed Liverpool and six points clear of fourth placed Arsenal.

The Blues currently have no new reported injury concerns, with Jose Bosingwa still doubtful for this match.

Prediction

With temporary manager Guus Hiddink admitting that Chelsea's Premier League title bid is now over, the Blues will now look to the FA Cup and Champions League titles as top priorities.

As such, some key players may be given a rest in preparation for Chelsea's Champions League semi-final match against Barcelona in Spain on Tuesday.

West Ham are in a good position for a European spot next season and so will be looking to take as many points as possible from their remaining matches. Although their form has been inconsistent recently—with a large injury list as partly the reason—the Hammers are still capable of posting a threat, as their draw last week with Aston Villa will show.

Chelsea enter the match as favourites to win, but with the Champions League fixture looming, European glory is more likely to be on the minds of the Blues than this upcoming match. And so if an understrength Chelsea side is fielded at Upton Park, a low-scoring draw could very well be on the cards on the day.

Go to Sports Betting Review to read the complete West Ham vs Chelsea preview with the best online odds.

Then read our other weekend previews: Hull vs Liverpool, Manchester United vs Tottenham and Arsenal v Middlesbrough all with preview and betting odds too!