West Ham and Chelsea are both searching for their first win of the new Premier League season as they face off under the Friday night lights at the London Stadium.
Both sides had a rough start last weekend. West Ham were hammered 3-0 away at Sunderland, while Chelsea looked flat in a goalless draw at home to Crystal Palace.
It couldn’t have gone much worse for the Hammers in their season opener. Graham Potter’s side were comfortably beaten at Sunderland, and questions around the squad’s quality and tactics have already resurfaced.
After just one game, West Ham's odds of relegation have shortened, and fans are growing restless. Potter, who arrived midway through last season, has had a full preseason to turn things around—but based on last week, they may have taken a step backward instead.
To make matters worse, their home form has been shaky, with just one win in their last eight league games at the London Stadium. The pressure is on to deliver quickly, especially with Chelsea coming to town.
Chelsea came into the season riding the momentum of a strong finish last year, snagging a top four spot and winning the Conference League and Club World Cup. But their first game didn’t check up to the hype.
Enzo Maresca's side drew 0-0 with Palace and were lucky to come away with even a point. Eberechi Eze had a goal controversially ruled out, and Chelsea barely tested Palace’s keeper until the final minutes. Big summer signings failed to impress, and the lack of cutting edge has already raised concerns. If they fail to score again on Friday, it’ll be the first time since 1995-96 that Chelsea have gone goalless in their first two league games.
Chelsea have had the better of this fixture lately, winning the last three meetings between the sides. They also won at the London Stadium last season. However, they've only managed three wins in their last 11 visits there and haven't won back-to-back away games against West Ham since 2014.
With three more London derbies coming up against Fulham, Brentford, and Arsenal, Chelsea will be desperate to pick up maximum points to keep their title hopes alive. Another poor result, and people will start to write them off already.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
West Ham are likely to make some changes after their poor performance in the North East last weekend. One of those could be a first start for Callum Wilson, who came off the bench in that match.
The midfield pairing of Guido Rodriguez and James Ward-Prowse didn’t really work out, so it’s unlikely we’ll see that again. Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez, and Andy Irving are all in the mix to come into the starting lineup.
The team is still feeling the absence of Mohammed Kudus, with no replacement signed yet. Crysencio Summerville is also still out injured, so a lot of the attacking responsibility will fall on Jarrod Bowen, who had a strong season last year with 13 goals and 8 assists in the Premier League.
On the Chelsea side, they’re still without Levi Colwill in defence due to a long-term injury. With Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo also sidelined, Josh Acheampong had to step in alongside Trevoh Chalobah. Wesley Fofana still isn’t fully fit either.
Nicolas Jackson is available again after serving a three-match ban that carried over from last season. However, Joao Pedro is expected to keep his spot up front—he’s scored six goals against West Ham in the past, which is the most he’s scored against any team.
Meanwhile, Romeo Lavia is still unavailable due to another minor injury, continuing a tough run of fitness issues he’s had throughout the 2024–25 season.
POSSIBLE LINE UPS
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Hermansen; Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd; Wan-Bissaka, Alvarez, Soucek, Diouf; Bowen, Wilson, Paqueta
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; James, Acheampong, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo; Neto, Palmer, Estevao; Joao Pedro
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
West Ham 0-2 Chelsea
