Venue: Stamford Bridge Date: Sunday 17th March Kick-Off: 4pm
Match Preview
Check out our match preview
LINK HERE
Team News
Long term absentee Oriol Romeu (knee) is the only man that Rafael Benitez is unable to call upon in Sunday's derby. Demba Ba could return to the starting line-up to face his former club, after being cup-tied for Thursday's Europa League win over Steaua Bucharest. Frank Lampard is also expected to feature in a heavily-changed side. Chelsea could look to their Brazillians for inspiration on Sunday, as Brazil have already qualified for the World Cup by virtue of being hosts. Consequently, players such as Ramires, Oscar, and David Luiz are less likely to be playing two matches in a week for their country, unlike England's Ashley Cole. West Ham look to continue their decent run of form without captain Kevin Nolan (toe) and former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole (hamstring). Sam Allardyce's side could be boosted, however, by the return of Mark Noble from a toe injury, James Tomkins from illness, and George McCartney's long-term knee problem. The Hammers are likely to start with target man Andy Carroll in an attempt to expose recent frailties in the Chelsea defence.
Previous Meetings
West Ham 3-1 Chelsea (Premier League, December 2012) Chelsea 3-0 West Ham (Premier League, April 2011) West Ham 1-3 Chelsea (Premier League, September 2010)
Likely Line-Ups
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Bertrand; Ramires, Lampard; Moses, Mata, Oscar; Ba.
West Ham (4-3-3): Jaaskelainen; O'Brien, Collins, Reid, Demel; Collison, O'Neill, Diame; Tomkins, Carroll, Jarvis.