Venue: Stamford Bridge Date: Sunday, 14 December Kick-off: 1600 GMT
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live; Score updates on BBC Sport website & highlights on MOTD 2
Zola not worried about Blues reaction
Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari must decide whether to stick with striker Nicolas Anelka or recall Didier Drogba, who is available after a ban.
Winger Florent Malouda is doubtful with a hamstring problem.
Midfielder Lee Bowyer remains a doubt with the hip injury that kept him out of West Ham's 2-0 loss to Tottenham.
Matthew Etherington, Freddie Sears and Jack Collison are in the squad but long-term injuries Kieron Dyer (broken leg) and Dean Ashton (ankle) are out.
Chelsea coach Ray Wilkins:
"West Ham are coming here to get something from the game.
"In recent games Gianfranco Zola has been blocking up the midfield away from home and they've been quite successful at it, so it's going to be difficult for us.
"I don't for one minute think they will come and play an open, expansive game of football but that's something we'll have to cope with."
West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola:
"I hope the crowd will give us (Zola and Steve Clarke) a good reception. We were very committed to the Chelsea cause when we were there.
"It was a fantastic experience with Chelsea and I'm not turning my back on that. But now I want to achieve as a manager what I did as a footballer with Chelsea.
"If people don't respect that then they're not right. I'm not concerned - people have to have common sense."
Chelsea (from): Cech, Cudicini, Hilario, Bosingwa, Belletti, Ferreira, Alex, Terry, Ivanovic, Bridge, A Cole, Lampard, Ballack, Obi, Deco, Kalou, Drogba, Anelka, J Cole.
West Ham (from): Green, Neill, Collins, Upson, Etherington, Ilunga, Faubert, Boa Morte, Parker, Mullins, Behrami, Bellamy, Cole, Noble, Lastuvka, Tristan, Sears, Davenport, Collison, Di Michele, Bowyer.
Gianfranco Zola makes his first return to Chelsea as West Ham manager. The Italian made 312 appearances and scored 80 goals in a distinguished playing career for Chelsea, between 1996 and 2003.
The Blues have twice as many points as West Ham (36 to 18), scored over twice as many goals (35 to 17), and conceded a quarter of their tally (six to 24).
Chelsea have a 75% points return under Luiz Felipe Scolari (36 of 48); West Ham a 25% Premier League winning return under Gianfranco Zola (three of 12).
Chelsea are hoping to beat West Ham for a seventh successive time in the Premier League.
West Ham have not taken a point off Chelsea since doing the double over them in 2002-03. Paulo Di Canio got a brace in the odd goal in five triumph at Stamford Bridge on 28 September 2002 and scored the winner in the 1-0 triumph at Upton Park on 3 May 2003. However those six points were not sufficient to prevent the Hammers from dropping out of the top-flight that season.
Distance between the clubs: 13 miles (21 kilometres)
Chelsea make the shortest journey of any Premier League club this weekend.
CHELSEA
Going into the weekend: 2nd 36 points
1. Lost one of seven Premier League games; 1-2, home to Arsenal on 30 November.
2. The joint most winning team with the strongest attack and tightest defence in the Premier League. More details
Wilkins welcomes back Chelsea legends
3. Kept six clean sheets in seven league games; conceding only two goals in those outings (v Arsenal).
4. Two points up on this same stage last season when third in the table.
5. Won only one of three home league games (5-0 against Sunderland on 1 November), since suffering their first defeat in 87 to Liverpool on 26 October.
6. Losing to the Gunners was their first loss in seven London Premier League derbies.
7. Lying at the foot of this season's table of Premier League London derbies with just one point from two games, courtesy of a 1-1 draw with Tottenham on 31 August. Their last victory in a capital clash was 2-1, home to Arsenal on 23 March 2008.
WEST HAM UNITED
Going into the weekend: 16th 18 points
1. Won one of 10 Premier League matches; 1-0, away to Sunderland on 23 November.
2. Failed to score in six of the last nine league outings.
3. On the longest current sequence of 10 Premier League games since scoring more than a single goal in a match; the 1-2 away victory over Fulham on 27 September being the most recent.
4. Four points down on this same stage last season when 11th in the table.
5. Need a draw to total 250 points away from home all-time in the Premier League.
6. Picked up one point out of nine against the 'Big Four'; the goalless draw at Liverpool on 1 December being their only return from six games against the quartet of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, since beating Liverpool 1-0 at home on 30 January 2008.
7. Lost four of the last five top-flight London derbies.
CHELSEA
Kose BOSINGWA, Frank LAMPARD and John TERRY are the only remaining players to have started all of Chelsea's Premier League matches this season.
Nicolas ANELKA is the top-scoring Premier League player with 15 club goals in all competitions, and is leading the race for the Barclays Golden Boot with 13 Premier League goals. He is the only player, whose Premier League goals total for the season is in double figures.
If he scores:-
ANELKA will reach the milestone of 100 career Premier League goals (Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton and Chelsea).
If selected:-
Frank LAMPARD will be facing his former club. The 30 year old England international was a West Ham trainee, making 187 appearances (148 in the league) and scoring 38 goals (24 league) for them before his £11m move to Stamford Bridge in June 2001.
JOE COLE will also will be facing former team mates. The 27 year old England international similarly started his career with the Hammers, making 149 appearances (126 in the league) and scoring 13 goals (10 league) before his £6.6m move across the capital in August 2003.
WEST HAM UNITED
Robert GREEN is the only remaining player to have been on the field for every minute of every one of West Ham's Premier League matches this season.
Valon BEHRAMI's winner against Sunderland on 23 November is West Ham's only goal in four games.
Lee BOWYER is two shy of 50 career Premier League goals (Leeds, Newcastle and West Ham).
If he scores:-
Lucas NEILL will be making his 400th career league appearance (Millwall, Blackburn and West Ham).
James COLLINS will be making his 50th appearance for the Hammers.
CARLTON COLE will be facing the club where he started his professional career. The 25 year old forward made 32 appearances (25 in the league) and scored eight goals (four league) before signing for the Hammers in July 2006.
Scott PARKER will be playing against a former club. The 28 year old England international made 28 appearances (15 in the league) and scored one league goal for Chelsea between January 2004 and June 2005.
Chelsea are bidding for a sixth win in seven home Premier League clashes with West Ham.
The Blues registered a 5-0 aggregate in winning home and away against the Eastenders last term. They have put 24 goals past the Hammers in nine top-flight meetings.
West Ham are one of eight clubs doubled by Chelsea last season, and Chelsea were the last of two clubs to complete the double over the Hammers - the other was Arsenal.
Home and away
League (inc PL): Chelsea 31 wins, West Ham 34, Draws 15
Prem: Chelsea 14 wins, West Ham 9, Draws 3
at Chelsea only
League (inc PL): Chelsea 20 wins, West Ham 12, Draws 8
Prem: Chelsea 8 wins, West Ham 4, Draws 1
Chelsea 1-0 West Ham United
1 December 2007 - Ref: Howard Webb
Chelsea scorer: Joe Cole 76
Mike Riley (Leeds, Yorkshire)
No comments:
Post a Comment