This Friday sees the second London derby of the 2025-26 season as Chelsea travel to face rivals West Ham.
Last weekend, the Blues were held to a 0-0 draw by Crystal Palace in the first battle between two teams from the capital.
But West Ham suffered a far worse fate on Matchday 1, losing 3-0 at newly-promoted Sunderland and heaping more pressure on manager Graham Potter.
Below, we have provided a full betting preview for West Ham vs Chelsea, complete with the latest football odds from our website and app.
And if your bet on this intriguing London derby is coming in with time still left to play in the match, our Cash Out feature allows you to collect potential winnings before the full-time whistle.
West Ham vs Chelsea Preview
Deep down, this is the match Potter wants to win most as West Ham boss after being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023.
In truth, the Englishman has not had the best of starts to life at the London Stadium, winning only five of the 20 games he has taken charge of.
And last Saturday’s heavy defeat to Sunderland was perhaps his lowest point since being hired, with the Hammers just unable to match the intensity of the hosts.
It begs the question; can Potter and his men bounce back against a top team like Chelsea? Well, the Blues did not exactly perform well in the 0-0 draw with Palace.
Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro both failed to make any sort of impact, while Enzo Fernandez had a game to forget in the middle of the park.
It is perhaps a delayed hangover from their FIFA Club World Cup triumph, but the fact of the matter is Chelsea need to improve fast if they want to be part of the 2025-26 title race.
Estevao’s performance off the bench was at least a big positive against Palace, while defensively the Blues also looked fairly solid.
Do not be surprised if Estevao gets the nod to start at the London Stadium on Friday, with Jamie Gittens likely dropping to the bench after a fairly ineffective display at Stamford Bridge last Sunday.
As for West Ham, Niclas Fullkrug’s struggles against Sunderland could see summer signing Callum Wilson come into the starting XI.
In terms of recent head-to-head records, Chelsea won each of the last three meetings between these two teams, including the 3-0 triumph at the London Stadium last September.
However, West Ham had won three out of five home encounters against the Blues prior to that heavy defeat, which is at least a small silver lining.
West Ham vs Chelsea Odds
*All odds are subject to change
West Ham are major underdogs on home soil, priced at 4.75 to claim the win here. A Chelsea victory is priced at 1.64, while the draw is 4.10.
West Ham vs Chelsea Betting Tips
Player to score or assist – Jarrod Bowen @ 2.40
You do wonder where West Ham would be without talismanic captain Bowen. Last season, the England international tallied 13 goals and eight assists in the Premier League, following on from 16 goals and six assists in 2023-24. The Hammers have scored at least one goal in their last four home top-flight matches and if they carry on that run, we are backing Bowen to play a major role.
Cole Palmer to have over 1.5 shots on target @ 2.63
Yes, Palmer had an off day against Palace, but he is still Chelsea’s main man. His 51 shots on target in the Premier League last season was the third-most by any player, while he took 126 shots in total. The numbers suggest this selection could land at the London Stadium!
Marc Cucurella to have over 0.5 shots on target @ 3.40
Against Palace, Cucurella was one of Chelsea’s most advanced players when in possession and he was also a threat from corners, resulting in him recording one shot on target. With that in mind, we feel like there is huge value to be had in this selection.
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