Date: 29th January Venue: Stamford Bridge Kick off: 7:45pm Chelsea host West Ham in what is an important London derby for both sides, who are battling at opposite ends of the Premier League. Team News Fernando Torres and Marco Van Ginkel are Chelsea's only injury concerns, with both players missing out due to knee injuries. Nemanja Matic could be handed his first Premier League start since rejoining the club, however Mohamed Salah will not arrive in the country in time to make his debut. The Hammers have greater fitness worries; Mohamed Diame is absent with a knee injury, George McCartney has a neck problem and Joe Cole is out with a groin strain. Joey O'Brien and Guy Demel may return to the squad, with Sam Allardyce also boosted by the loan signings of Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino. Key Stats Chelsea have won all of their last five matches in all competitions, conceding only one goal in the process. Jose Mourinho is still yet to lose a Premier League match at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues unbeaten in 71 encounters. In contrast to the hosts, West Ham have picked up a solitary victory in their last five matches in all competitions. The Hammers last won at Stamford Bridge in September 2002, with Paolo Di Canio securing a 3-2 victory six minutes from time. Likely Line-Ups Chelsea Cech; Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Ramires, Matic, Willian, Oscar, Hazard and Eto'o. West Ham Jaaskelainen; Demel, Johnson, Tomkins, Rat; Noble, Nocerino, Collison, Downing, Jarvis and Cole. Match Preview Chelsea go into this derby clash in fine form and confident of maintaing an impressive start to 2014, having won ever game since the turn of the year. After letting in six goals in two matches against Stoke and Sunderland in December, Mourinho's side have tightened up at the back - conceding five goals in their last 11 games. The Blues have added to their defensive steel this January with the signing of Matic for £21million from Benfica. The Serbian, who was sold by Chelsea as part of the deal which brought David Luiz to the club in 2011, will provide protection for the back-four in the same way Claude Makelele did during Mourinho's first stint in charge. In contrast to Chelsea's rich vein of form, which has seen them trail league leaders Arsenal by just two points, West Ham have been struggling. The Hammers have only four Premier League wins this season, just one more than Chelsea have recorded in January alone. Allardyce has endeavoured to stop the rot with the loan signings of Boriello and Nocerino from Roma and AC Milan respectively, but it remains to be seen how quickly they adapt to the English game. Defensive woes have been the main concern for West Ham since the start of 2014, with the Hammers leaking 21 goals so far this year. Admittedly injuries in key areas have hindered Allardyce's plans. The absence of Winston Reid at the heart of the defence, a stand-out performer last season, has clearly been a huge loss. With Chelsea in such fine form and West Ham stuttering, it is difficult to look past a home win for this encounter. When you add in the fact that the Hammers have not won at Stamford Bridge since 2002 and Mourinho has never lost a Premier League game there, the outlook really is bleak for Allardyce's team. Prediction: 3-0 source - bbc football
Simon is an NCTJ qualified sports journalist. He has conducted interviews with Tony Adams and Peter Shilton, while also having work published in The Daily Telegraph and The Sun. Follow him on Twitter via @sr_collings.
