Premier League: West Ham vs Chelsea - Betting Tips, Odds & Prediction

As the dust settles on the first Premier League week of the season, the best online sports betting sites have already turned their attention to the second week. For the opening match of the round, we see West Ham taking on Chelsea at London Stadium on Saturday morning, New Zealand time. 

The Blues will play another London Derby after sharing the spoils with fellow Londoners Crystal Palace last weekend. West Ham, on the other hand, will hope for better fortunes at home after getting thrashed by newly promoted Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

West Ham

West Ham traveled North East to face an opponent that hadn't won a Premier League match in August since 2010. But the Hammers found themselves on the receiving end of a 3-0 hammering, defying the pre-match odds on football sports betting platforms. 

Graham Potter’s side did have a good start to the game, however, as Jarrod Bowen, Habib Diarra, and El Hadji Malick Diouf came close to opening the score. But after Sunderland took the lead, West Ham could offer little resistance against a spirited Black Cats side.

Team News: Crysencio Summerville is out with a hamstring injury, and George Earthy faces a fitness concern.

Predicted Lineup: Areola; Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd; Wan-Bissaka, Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Diouf; Bowen, Paqueta; Fullkrug.

Chelsea

Chelsea fans unveiled a “Champions of the World” tifo ahead of the Blues’ Premier League season opener at Stamford Bridge. The mood in the arena was quite festive before the match, but once the final whistle blew, there was visible frustration among the Chelsea faithful. 

Enzo Maresca can’t blame the fans for feeling disappointed. His team failed to trouble a Crystal Palace side that lifted the FA Cup trophy and the Community Shield, and might consider themselves lucky to avoid a defeat, as Eberechi Eze’s free-kick goal was ruled out by VAR. 

The West London side have spent nearly £250 million in summer signings, so they should be looking to challenge the big guns for the Premier League trophy this season. Chelsea will look to bounce back with a win as they travel to East London for their next PL mission.

Team News: Levi Colwill will miss out again, and Tosin Adarabioyo could join the absentee list as well.

Predicted Lineup: Sanchez; James, Acheampong, Chalobah, Cucurella; Enzo, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Estevao; Pedro.

• Chelsea have won their last three Premier League matches against West Ham. 
• West Ham have lost only one of their last four home matches against Chelsea.
• West Ham have conceded 10 goals against Chelsea in their last three meetings.

It’ll be difficult for West Ham to recover from their heavy defeat at the hands of Sunderland and produce a strong display against Chelsea this weekend. Potter will look at West Ham’s strong home record in recent seasons for inspiration, but the Hammers did lose to Chelsea at home last season. 

The best sports betting apps in NZ see Chelsea as the hot favourites in this match, even though neither of these sides impressed in their first match. Maresca’s team, however, have undeniable quality, and they have shown in the Club World Cup that they can upset the best teams on their day. 

We don’t see West Ham walking away with anything from this match, but the scoreline should cross the 3.5 goals-mark.

Chelsea 3-2 West Ham @ $26.00

You don’t see 3-2 matches everyday, but this match has the makings of one. Chelsea will be vulnerable at the back without Colwill, while Sanchez in goal remains a weakness they have yet to address. West Ham have also shown that they are quite shaky at the back, and Chelsea have more options in their attack to stretch their defence. So, we’ll take this offer at 20Bet, which delivers a whopping $26 return.