The last game of the first week of the Premier League will be played between the two London sides, i.e., West Ham United and Chelsea. The Hammers will be travelling to the Stamford Bridge with a hope of replicating the same result of the last season. The Hammers clinched the victory first time in the last campaign, while the second leg ended as a 2-2 draw.
The scenario is completely different now as both the sides have different intent and even the squads have been shuffled. The home team, Chelsea, have so far signed two names, namely, Michy Batshuayi and N’Golo Kante, while on the other hand, the Hammers have reshaped on a great scale, and the recent acquisition is the Swansea’s star Andre Ayew.
Looking at the recent form, Chelsea are carrying the upper hand in the fixture as they have won four of their last 6 games of the pre-season, while the hammer have only managed one victory, but they did defeat NK Domzale over two legs in the Europa League third qualifying round. West Ham United are looking a confident side, but their manager is currently facing some major injury crises as he is likely to miss the new signing Gokhan Tore, and the definite absentees will be Manuel Lanzini (knee) and Aaron Creswell (knee).
Fortunately, Chelsea does not really have any such problems, but the involvement of Kurt Zouma is in doubt as the Frenchman is still recovering from his injury.
The first game, the first impression; here is the predicted lineup for Chelsea that could face West Ham United with full throttle:
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Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois-
The Belgian shot-stopper, who was a subject of an interest from Real Madrid has cemented his place at the Stamford Bridge, and right at this very moment, there is no one who can challenge him for the spot. The 24-year-old had a torrid time last season, but the man between the sticks is expected to improve on his form.
Defence: Ivanovic; Cahill; Terry; Azpilicueta-
With no explicit option available for the full-back spot, the manager might go with the Serbian defender, Branislav Ivanovic. The 32-year-old has been heavily blamed for losing his markers and letting the player go easily during the last campaign, but given the record of Antonio Conte regarding the aging players, we might see Ivanovic working wonders under Conte.
With Zouma looking unlikely to feature, the manager will definitely go with the English pairing. Both Cahill and Terry had a forgettable last term, and the skipper was on the verge to leave the Bridge, but now it seems like the pair will be playing a lead role in Conte’s script for the Blues.
On the left side, there is no one better than Cesar Azpilicueta. The Spaniard was the only bright spot for the Blues in their defence last term, and now with a new challenge coming up, he will be looking forward to go with full throttle.
Midfield: N’Golo Kante; Cesc Fabregas-
The holding midfield will surely be occupied by Chelsea’s new signing N’Golo Kante, while his central partner would most probably be the Spanish maestro, Cesc Fabregas. Kante has arrived at the Bridge with a big reputation and the fans will demand a game-changing performance from the Frenchman. On the other hand, Cesc needs no introduction, but the 29-year-old needs to improve his form, as he was nowhere near at his best last term.
Attack: Willian; Oscar; Costa; Hazard-
Till date, we all are aware of the fact that Chelsea will be playing with a 4-2-4 formation, hence, this would be the best-attacking line-up for the team. Chelsea’s player of the year, Willian will be charging the game from the right flank with Ivanovic at his support, and on the parallel road, the Belgian speedster Eden Hazard will be doing his tricks.
With these two working out wide, another Brazilian, Oscar, will be playing just behind the striker, to support the central zone. The 24-year-old’s future as a Chelsea man is still looking uncertain, but he still has the quality that could haunt the opposition.
And finally, with this trio commanding the game, the Brazilian-born Spanish striker, Diego Costa, will be working to deliver the end product.