West Ham vs Chelsea Preview – Premier League 2025/26 | Form, Injuries, Lineups and Prediction

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·20. August 2025

West Ham vs Chelsea Preview – Premier League 2025/26 | Form, Injuries, Lineups and Prediction

West Ham vs Chelsea Preview: Gameweek 2 in the Premier League presents a mismatched London derby as the World Champions make the short trip to East London. Both teams come into this game following a disappointing start to the season with Chelsea being held to a draw by Crystal Palace and West Ham getting battered by newly promoted Sunderland. Despite the Blues being clear favourites, the Hammers will also want to bounce back and get at least a point on the board.

SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND – AUGUST 16: Daniel Ballard of Sunderland scores his team’s second goal under pressure from Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Lucas Paqueta of West Ham United during the Premier League match between Sunderland and West Ham United at Stadium of Light on August 16, 2025 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

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Current Form

Chelsea looked to return to business as usual after a fast start against Crystal Palace, but a disallowed Eze free kick dampened their liveliness, leaving the West Londoners both short of a goal and short of three points. Their defence is bolstered coming into this match, though, with Wesley Fofana and Tosin available for selection. Maresca may want to bring experience into the backline, but 19-year-old Josh Acheampong dealt with Mateta brilliantly on Sunday.

West Ham come off the back of an impressive pre-season, only losing one of their five games. However, they seemingly did not carry this momentum into opening day after an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Sunderland left Graham Potter scratching his head. They go into a big game against Chelsea with a point to prove, and former Blues boss Potter will be using his knowledge of the club to formulate a game plan.

Chelsea players must not succumb to complacency, as West Ham will certainly be looking to cause an upset. Both teams should be up for the contest following disappointing results in gameweek 1.

Head-to-Head Record

Chelsea are clear favourites if you look at past fixtures, with the Blues besting the Hammers in five of their last seven meetings, with one being a draw and the other being a 3-1 loss on Moises Caicedo’s debut. West Ham will be looking to beat Chelsea for the first time in two years, nearly to the day. Potter will not have fond memories from this fixture in the 2022/23 season, as his Chelsea side drew 1-1, resulting in him being sacked a month and a half later.

Injury News

Chelsea are much worse off in the injury department but have enough firepower to cover it, while West Ham do not have many players out.

West Ham Injuries

Crysencio Summerville – Hamstring injury, ruled out until mid-September
George Earthy – Ankle/Foot injury, return date unknown
Luis Guilherme – Shoulder injury, being assessed but no return date

Chelsea Injuries

Benoit Badiashile – Leg injury, expected back in mid-September
Romeo Lavia – Strain injury, expected back in mid-September
Nicolas Jackson – Suspended
Tosin Adarabioyo – Training knock, currently being assessed (25% chance of playing)
Omari Kellyman – Hamstring injury, expected back in mid-September
Levi Colwill – ACL injury, expected back in late April

Manager Quotes

Graham Potter (West Ham):

“Disappointed, fuming with the start we’ve had“

Enzo Maresca (Chelsea):

“We created enough chances in the first half and the second half. Apart from the free kick we didn’t concede and [clear-cut] chances”

Predicted Lineups

West Ham (3-5-2): Hermansen, Aguerd, Mavropanos, Todibo; Diouf, Wan-Bissaka, Paquetá, Soucek, Ward-Prowse; Bowen, Füllkrug

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez, Cucurella, Acheampong, Fofana, James; Enzo, Caicedo, Palmer; Neto, Estêvão, Delap

West Ham vs Chelsea Preview: Tactical Preview & Key Battles

West Ham’s Approach

Potter will likely set West Ham up defensively, aiming to break on the counter with the wing-backs and get it up to Bowen and Füllkrug. They will know that Chelsea will have possession of the ball for most of the game, so using a low block and breaking quickly will be key to exploiting Maresca’s side. Wan-Bissaka and Diouf will both hold the width and try to get crosses on Füllkrug’s head, which they have found joy from in pre-season. Paquetá will be a key player; him finding space behind the two strikers to create opportunities will likely be one of West Ham’s few lifelines in this game.

Kudus will prove to be a big loss in the attack, but we have seen in pre-season how effective Bowen and Füllkrug can be. With Paquetá playing behind them, he can use half turns and quick one-twos to create space and catch Chelsea’s midfield off guard. Caicedo will likely be tasked with keeping him quiet, so he will not be given much time on the ball.

Chelsea’s Approach

Chelsea will be set up in the usual 4-2-3-1 with Cucurella coming into midfield and James shifting into centre-back in possession, having the extra man in midfield. They will look to dominate possession while using Neto and Estêvão to create chances out wide for Delap. With Cucurella being an extra man in attack, Palmer can look to sit in the half-spaces, which will draw markers out and create space for the players around him. West Ham will probably double up on Palmer, allowing more space for the wingers to receive the ball or for Enzo Fernandez to make runs into the box.

Maresca will look to bring both Jamie Gittens and João Pedro on late in the game if things are not going Chelsea’s way, which can change the flow of the game. Gittens will be very direct and run at a tired Wan-Bissaka, and Pedro can drop deep and alternate with Palmer to create space and confusion in the defence. Having created plenty of chances against Crystal Palace, the Blues will find the same joy here against a similar system, and perhaps this time they can score a couple.

Key Battles

Delap vs Mavropanos/Aguerd – Delap is a much more physical striker than Pedro and will look to hold up the ball and outmuscle the West Ham centre-backs, who will certainly have their hands full.
Paquetá vs Caicedo – Paquetá will be West Ham’s main outlet through the middle, but he will inevitably run into the roadblock that is Caicedo. The Brazilian’s flair and skill could be enough to overcome the Ecuadorian’s relentless pressing, though.
Neto vs Wan-Bissaka – Neto is a quick winger who likes to use his speed to breeze past full-backs, but Wan-Bissaka is no pushover. His tackling ability is some of the best in the league, and he will look to stop Neto from finding any joy on that left-hand side.
Füllkrug vs Acheampong – Acheampong managed to successfully stop Mateta from having a sniff last week, with Füllkrug being a similar kind of striker, this physical battle will be one to keep an eye on.