Chelsea welcome the visitors West Ham United in the English Premiere League – Round 33. The match will be held on Monday, April, 8th, at the Stamford Bridge (London).
The Europa League tournament is not a priority for Chelsea, which was reported yet before the start of the group stage. The ‘Blues’ found themselves in the quartet with very doable opponents, therefore, they won the group featuring their reserve squad. Chelsea were same lucky in the following rounds wherein they clashed with Malmo (aggregate 5:1 win) and Dynamo Kyiv (aggregate 8:0 win). In the quarterfinal, the team face Slavia Prague. As this is the side of their previous opponents’ caliber, Chelsea will most probably save their key players’ efforts – they are much into the Premiere League fight for the Champions League zone now. Presently, the ‘Blues’ sit 6th in the standings with Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United chasing them – the closing rounds will be decisive. At the same time, there are talks of the team’s new owner. All players must be very aware of this. Roman Abramovich is said to negotiate with the richest Brit to sell the club for £2.2 billion to him. Jim Ratcliffe finds the price too high, moreover, the funds will be needed shortly for the reconstruction of the Stamford Bridge. The businessmen negotiated yet in summer, but Abramovich’s suggested price was even higher then.
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West Ham United’s active transfer campaign in summer made everyone believe they looked to fight for the Europa League as a minimum. An experienced successful specialist Manuel Pellegrini joined the club, alongside a few new players whose overall cost exceeded €100 million. Actually, because of many newcomers, the ‘Hammers’ did not look well-knit, and their results left much to be desired. Another reason of West Ham’s bad first-term run is rooted in a great number of injuries. Pellegrini must have used to the fact that some of his players are injured at the moment. The side are successful at home lately, but they mostly concede away. After 32 rounds, the ‘Hammers’ count 42 points and sit 11th. The team still have chances for the Europa League zone, as the 7th line is very reachable, and they will fight for it.
The first opponents’ derby this campaign ended in a goalless draw. Chelsea dominated at the Olympic Stadium, the ‘Hammers’ registered very few organized attacks, but none of the ‘Blues’’ 17 shots on target were effective. West Ham’s last win at the Stamford Bridge goes back to 2002. Afterwards, the ‘Hammers’ lost 9 times there, and 4 matches did not define the winners. The Premiere League nears its end. Both sides will be highly motivated, as the table is extremely tense now. The ‘Blues’ will probably keep some of their key players off the Europa League fixtures to attain the maximum number of points domestically. Obviously, Chelsea do not want to compete in the Europa League again, so, progression to the Champions League is their top priority these days. Thus, they will do their best to win on Monday.
Prediction for the match: Chelsea to win home.
