Chelsea v West Ham Premier League Betting

Chelsea v West Ham betting, will favour the home, although at such a crucial turn of the season, with the run in to the title well under way, Premier League title hopefuls Chelsea have goalkeeping issues. Number One Petr Cech picked up an injury in their Champions League first leg tie against Inter Milan, which is keeping him out of action, and now back up goalie, Portuguese veteran Hilario has fallen foul of injury. This means that England under 21 keeper Ross Turnbull will get his debut in net for the blues. There is also serious doubt as to whether either Hilario or Cech will be fit enough for Tuesday’s Champions League return fixture against Inter Milan, in which Chelsea need to overcome a 2-1 deficit. Boss Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that he is not worried over the goalkeeping position, and has every faith in Turnbull, both in the Premier League, and against Inter Milan, should he start there as well.

Turnbull has only played twice for Chelsea this season, once in the Champions League and once in the Carling Cup, and with Chelsea trailing Manchester United at the top of the Premier League, the Blues’ injury list could be a telling factor in the race for the title. Where Manchester United had their injury woes earlier on in the season, and have now pretty much gotten back to full strength, the loss of Cech combined with Ashley Cole, Michael Essien, Jose Bosingwa and Ricardo Carvalho too, who are missing from action, has come at a bad times for the Blues. Chelsea have had some players returning to action, with stand in left back Yuri Zhirkov returning, along with Michael Ballack who was serving suspensions after being sent off in Chelsea’s defeat to Manchester City in the league. Chelsea have now lost two of their last three Premier League matches, which has seen them concede the top spot to Wayne Rooney United.

Stamford Bridge legend Gianfranco Zola will be hoping to throw a further spanner in the Blues’ title hopes, as his West Ham side needs points to stave off the threat of relegation. The Hammers have been struggling all season, and will welcome back the striking power of Benni McCarthy for the London derby. Zola left Italian side Parma, when Ancelotti was coach there, miserable at being played out of position. He will always be a welcome figure at Stamford Bridge, and to his credit, he took two points off Chelsea last season, and need something similar this time. The Hammers are just three points away from safety, and need to pick themselves up after two consecutive defeats. West Ham though have only won once away from Upton Park this season, highlighting the fight that Zola has on his hands. Their only away victory came on the opening day of the season, and have only managed to score 12 times on their travels.

A defeat for West Ham, along with other results, could see them back in the relegation zone on the weekend. They will need a major step up in form, as well as trying to overturn a 10 game winless streak against Chelsea, if they are going to help their relegation case. Chelsea need to be in a dominant mood, and perhaps the presence of Turnbull, will inject their back line with a lot more steel and determination, as they don’t have the saving power of Petr Cech behind them. They are stuttering at the moment, and no doubt the great form of Manchester United is giving them headaches, and London neighbours Arsenal have also played their way into contention. There are questions being asked of Chelsea’s unity, especially after the lions share of bad publicity concerning player’s private lives. This is a must win game for the Blues, and although they lost their unbeaten record at Stamford Bridge recently, they will start as strong favourites against a team they have beaten 8 times out of the last 10 meetings.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Head to Head
West Ham 1, Chelsea 1
West Ham 0, Chelsea 1
Chelsea 1, West Ham 1
West Ham 0, Chelsea 4
Chelsea 1, West Ham

Last 5 Match Goals
Chelsea: 8 For, 7 Against
West Ham: 7 For, 7 Against

Last 10 Match Form
Chelsea: W6, D2, L2
West Ham: W3, D3, L4

Win Percentage
Chelsea have an 85.7 win percentage at home
West Ham have a 7.1 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Chelsea to win: 2/9 at Bet365
Draw: 5/1 at Paddy Power
West Ham to win: 14/1 at Totesport

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: A game Chelsea should, and need, to win. They are not in particularly great form at the moment, and have a big Champions League game on Tuesday. Combined with the injuries they have, they won’t be at their very strongest. Hard to judge whether Chelsea will be at their rampant and dominant best, as this is somewhat a pressure game for them. This Premier League match from an Asian Betting point of view, will be a judgement on how many you think West Ham will lose by, or whether they are capable of snatching a draw. Therefore, West Ham plus should be the way to go:
West Ham: +1.75 Asian Handicap: 10/11 at Paddy Power