Game Week 2 Predictions: Chelsea to beat West Ham

West Ham face Chelsea in a London derby at the London Stadium. Blues seek redemption after opening draw, Hammers aim to bounce back.

West Ham is in a bad state but can they revive their season with the visit of Chelsea to the London Stadium on Friday? (Photo credit: Opta)

 West Ham vs Chelsea

London Stadium

8:00pm

Welcome to game week 2 of the English Premier League, and what a way to start the round of games. It's a London derby at the London Stadium; it's West Ham against Chelsea.

The Blues dropped points at home last weekend against Crystal Palace; you can pin their lethargic performance on the fact that they just returned from holiday after their Club World Cup triumph. They don't have excuses against the Hammers.

West Ham embarrassingly lost at Sunderland. Not like anyone expected so much from them, but losing 3-0 on the opening day away to a team that hasn't been in the top eight seasons is strange.

It's a London derby, so form and pedigree will fly out the window, and, beyond geographical sentiments, it's also the Graham Potter derby, with the West Ham manager under the spotlight as a former Chelsea boss.

Chelsea has the likes of Chris Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson, who are still available to other clubs, while West Ham said goodbye to Edson Alvarez earlier in the week after he completed a move out of the club, leaving the Hammers short in the middle.

Chelsea is expected to hit a better gear on Friday, but they cannot underestimate the Hammers, despite their poor defensive performance against the Black Cats last weekend; it's a different kind of game.

West Ham must get a grip. From switching from Alphonso Areola to the former Leicester keeper in goal to going to three at the back and then having to depend on kids as substitutes, you wonder when the Hammers will dive into the market for good deals.

Chelsea has the luxury of picking two strong teams against West Ham. Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo are both available to play after recovering from injuries, while the trio of Estevao, Tyrick George and Andrey Santos are all fighting for starting roles.

The real question for the Blues is upfront, where Liam Delap is pushing to start ahead of Joao Pedro. Enzo Maresca has his work cut out with selection headaches; it's left to be seen how he sets up against the Hammers.

West Ham isn't the favourite for this fixture, but this is one game they have excelled at in the past. And, if there's a game they can use to bounce back, it is this one against their neighbours. Will the Hammers give their fans something to cheer?

Verdict: Chelsea to win.