Chelsea v West Ham Preview

We`re back in action, in the Premier League, this weekend when we take the long trip across London on the District Line to face Chelsea. It`s a fixture filled with spice and West Ham will be looking to do the double over Chelsea having already beaten them 3-1 at Upton Park. Chelsea`s fortunes have been mixed in recent weeks and this could be the perfect time to engineer a smash and grab raid to take all three points and move us nearer to Sam`s survival target.

As the Hammers edge nearer to Premier League safety, Big Sam has again offered a few comments on what he perceives will be enough to ensure at least another season of top-flight football, remarking,

"I think we need another five points. Thirty-eight will make you safe this year but we will all aim for 40 just in case."

"Hopefully we will be safe as soon as possible."

Three points, at Stamford Bridge, would help the cause enormously!

Chelsea have very few injury problems, only their young Spanish midfielder Oriol Romeu is absent. In midweek, they eased past Steaua Bucharest and only Fernando Torres picked up any injury, a bloody nose that shouldn`t keep him out.

We expect the Chelsea boss to rotate his squad but we should, once again, be able to throw a few taunts in the direction of Frank Lampard, who looks set to play. But elsewhere, other than Petr Cech, the line-up is virtually impossible to predict.

This lad frightens me! Aside from rucking with Welsh ball-boys, his pace and skills can undo most sides, let`s hope we`re prepared for his sudden bursts of acceleration and his shots from around the edge of the area.

Big Sam takes his ailing squad to West London hoping that a few of his players can struggle off knocks that are making them doubtful.

Kevin Nolan, so the papers are saying, may have a pain-killing injection to enable him to play whilst Sam will be hopeful that Mark Noble and James Tomkins are fit enough to play.

Unfortunately, the game has come too soon for George McCartney and Joe Cole, both of whom are ruled out by injury.

Big Sam will be looking for the striker to unsettle Chelsea, just like he did when he wore the colours of Liverpool in eh FA Cup Final last season.

Hammers supporters will be hoping that we can do the double over Chelseam but if that is to be the case we`ll need to make inroads into a record that has seen us take just 1 point from the last 6 visits to Stamford Bridge.

Michael Oliver is in charge this Sunday.

Can we capitalize on the unrest at Stamford Bridge? Can we get amongst them and heap more misery on Rafa`s mob? Why not! This game is made for us and I reckon we`ll do a smash and grab raid and take all three points by the narrowest of margins.

Our next fixture will see us entertain West Bromwich Albion on Saturday 30th March.

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