Chelsea FC – West Ham United
Saturday, 13th March 2010 16:00
Chelsea fell from the top spot in the Premier League when Manchester United got all three points while away at the Molineux Stadium. Their weekend match was rescheduled due to their FA Cup fixture with Stoke City. That match ended 2-0 and Chelsea will now face Aston Villa in the Semi-Finals at Wembley. The Blues are missing several players, but the depth of the squad will be able to cope with it. Carlo Ancelotti will keep the FA Cup in mind, but his real goal will be to lead Chelsea to another Premier League title.
Last week’s matchup with Bolton Wanderers will have the Hammers feeling frustrated and on edge. Two first half goals put the Wanderers out of reach, but a 71′ Bolton red card helped Diamanti find nylon in the 88′. The final score was 2-1 and the Hammers will not be happy they could not get anything at home against direct relegation rivals. Now just 3 points above the drop zone, West Ham will not be too optimistic about their chances when facing a team as strong as Chelsea.
Match details:
Chelsea F.C. vs West Ham United
Saturday, March 13, 2010 – 4:00 P.M. (CET)
30th Match Day
Stamford Bridge – London
Possible Starting XIs:
>> Chelsea: Hilario, Malouda, Terry, Carvalho, Ivanovic, Lampard, Mikel, Sturridge, J. Cole, Drogba, Anelka.
>> West Ham: Myhill, McShane, Zayatte, Muoyokolo, Kilbane, Cairney, Boateng, Barmby, Bullard, Garcia, Zaki.
Current table:
| # | Team | Matches | V | D | L | Goals | Diff. | Points |
| 2 | Chelsea FC | 28 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 65-26 | 39 | 61 |
| 16 | West Ham United | 28 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 36-45 | -9 | 27 |
Head-to-Head in EPL:
| Date | Match | Result |
| 20.12.09 | West Ham – Chelsea | 1:1 |
| 25.04.09 | West Ham – Chelsea | 0:1 |
| 14.12.09 | Chelsea – West Ham | 1:1 |
| 01.03.08 | West Ham – Chelsea | 0:4 |
| 01.12.07 | Chelsea – West Ham | 1:0 |
Summary:
Chelsea are without injured keeper Petr Cech, but their motivation alone should be enough to secure a win at Stamford Bridge. West Ham are in a desperate situation now and the pressure will prove to be too much for them while away. They will not be overly concerned about goal difference because they are far better than the other teams in relegation trouble. Because of this, a single goal from Chelsea could kill their confidence and unravel their defense as Chelsea continue ‘hammer’ the goal.
Prediction: victory Chelsea