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West Ham logo
Premier League
Mar 4, 2015 at 7.45pm UK
 
Chelsea logo

0-1

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Hazard (22')

Preview: West Ham United vs. Chelsea

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's London derby between West Ham United and Chelsea at Upton Park.

Chelsea continue their bid for a potential treble when they make the trip across the capital to take on West Ham United at Upton Park on Wednesday evening.

The first silverware of the season was won by Chelsea on Sunday as Jose Mourinho's side recorded a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur to triumph in the League Cup final at Wembley.

It's the first trophy Mourinho has won in his second spell with the club, but the Portuguese manager is hungry for more success in both the Premier League and Champions League.

Their hopes of winning the title were handed a boost without them even playing in the league on the weekend as Manchester City suffered disappointment once again with a 2-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield.

That result means Chelsea are still five points clear at the top of the table, and they are firm favourites to take full advantage with a game in hand.

Encouraging his players to put their Wembley success behind them will be the challenge for Mourinho, who could be tempted to make changes ahead of the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain next week.

London rivals West Ham are likely to be envious of the confidence in the Chelsea camp after making it six games without a win in all competitions by losing 3-1 to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The target may have been a surprise place in the Europa League just over a month ago, but a disappointing run for Sam Allardyce's side has seen the Hammers drop to ninth spot.

Returning to their best against the leaders is a tough ask for the hosts, who suffered a 2-0 defeat when the two sides met in the reverse fixture in December.

Kevin Nolan is in contention for a recall, with Allardyce possibly considering switching to a 4-5-1 with either Diafra Sakho or Enner Valencia leading the line.

Chelsea are once again without Nemanja Matic, who serves the second half of his two-game suspension, but Thibaut Courtois is set to return, while Oscar and Juan Cuadrado could be handed starts by Mourinho.

West Ham:

Form in Premier League: WLDDDL
Form in all competitions: LDDLDL

Possible starting lineup: Adrian, Jenkinson, Reid, Tomkins, Cresswell, Song, Noble, Kouyate, Downing, Nolan, Valencia

Chelsea:

Form in Premier League: WWDWWD
Form in all competitions: DWWDDW

Possible starting lineup: Courtois, Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Zouma, Fabregas, Oscar, Hazard, Cuadrado, Costa

Sports Mole says: 1-2


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John Terry of Chelsea lifts the Capital One Cup trophy during the Capital One Cup Final match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on March 1, 2015
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