West Ham vs Chelsea predictions: Blue day at the London Stadium

Chelsea make the short trip across London to take on West Ham on Saturday looking to build on their late win over Bournemouth last weekend (12.30pm, TNT Sports and Discovery+).

Christopher Nkunku scored with just four minutes to go to earn Chelsea all three points at the Vitality Stadium, in a game that will be more remembered for the record 14 yellow cards issued by referee Anthony Taylor.

West Ham also scored late in their last game, Danny Ings rescuing a point in the 95th minute in a 1-1 draw with Fulham.

Both sides have had a mixed start to the Premier League season under their new managers, although betting sites have seen enough of Chelsea to trim their top four odds to 2/1.

The Blues currently sit eighth in the table with seven points from the opening four games, courtesy of wins over Bournemouth and a 6-2 demolition of Wolves. But they dropped points at home to Crystal Palace and were beaten 2-0 by the champions Manchester City in the opening game.

West Ham have shown flashes of quality under new manager Julen Lopetegui but have just four points so far, which leaves them in 14th place. They beat Crystal Palace and drew with Fulham but have lost to Manchester City and Aston Villa at home.

After consecutive home defeats, the Hammers would dearly love to give their fans something to cheer about against an opponent they’ve only lost against once in the last seven meetings at the London Stadium.

It’s hard to see either side keeping a clean sheet in this one with both capable of scoring, setting the stage for an entertaining early kick-off.

West Ham have scored five and conceded six this season, and the latter figure could be significantly worse given they’ve faced more shots than any other side in the opening four Premier League games.

They have allowed 18.25 shots per game on average, which is the highest number of shots they’ve faced per game since the 2010-11 season when they were relegated (18.26).

Expect Alphonse Areola to be a busy man again this weekend against a Chelsea team that’s netted seven across two away games, albeit six of those came in the win at Wolves.

They have conceded five though, so expect the home side to have opportunities on Saturday.

Enzo Maresca’s side remain something of an enigma in the early days of his reign, yet football betting sites seem confident they’ll get the job done this weekend, making them 11/10 favourites for a rare win in east London.

That might seem a little shorter to some punters so we’re pairing it with both teams to score, which bumps up the price on Premier League betting sites to 12/5.

West Ham v Chelsea prediction 1: Chelsea to win & both teams to score - 12/5 bet365

If you’re looking for someone to back to be involved in the goals, then West Ham’s Michail Antonio seems to enjoy playing against Chelsea.

He’s had a hand in five goals in his last six Premier League games against the Blues, scoring three and assisting two. He has also only been on the losing side three times in 11 meetings.

His next goal involvement will be his 100th in the league, making him the first West Ham player to reach that milestone, he has scored 67 goals and assisted with 32 more.

Antonio is a bigger price to score or assist on betting apps than summer signing Niclas Fullkrug to score or assist this weekend, despite having got the nod over the German to lead the line. He, therefore, could represent a bit of value to register a goal involvement.

West Ham v Chelsea prediction 2: Michail Antonio to score or assist - 7/4 bet365