Graham Potter, current West Ham coach, coached Chelsea for only seven months before being sacked by the London club’s owners. The former Brighton coach, looking to redeem himself, agreed to start over with another team in the English capital last season, but the results so far have been mixed: West Ham made their 2025-26 Premier League debut with a terrible defeat against newly promoted Sunderland, who won 3-0 last weekend.
It is therefore no surprise that the tabloids are mentioning his name when talking about the first potential sackings: Chelsea is not the ideal opponent to turn the page immediately, not least because Potter’s record against his former club does not bode well (the Solihull coach has never beaten the Blues in seven attempts).
Chelsea, however, did not shine in their debut either, drawing 0-0 in another London derby with Crystal Palace. Enzo Maresca’s men, despite a good preseason and coming into the match on the back of successes in the Conference League and the Club World Cup, failed to break through the Eagles’ defense, settling for a point. It was a disappointing performance, especially in attack: Joao Pedro, who had been in fine form in the United States, failed to find the net, as did former Ipswich Town player Delap, who missed a great chance in the closing stages.
Potter is likely to make some changes from the Sunderland match, opting for a less risky formation with new signing Wilson leading the attack. Maresca, on the other hand, has some problems in defense: Acheampong is expected to play alongside Chalobah.
Odds comparison
Chelsea are priced at 1.67 on Lottomatica and 1.65 on Snai. The “Goal” option is priced at 1.65 on Lottomatica and 1.63 on Snai.
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Prediction
Chelsea were far from consistent away from home last season, but watch out for the Blues’ desire to bounce back after their false start against Palace. At the moment, West Ham do not pose a credible threat: it would not be surprising to see Maresca’s side pull off a surprise win in a match with at least one goal for each side.
Probable line-ups for West Ham-Chelsea
WEST HAM (3-4-3): Hermansen; Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd; Wan-Bissaka, Edson Alvarez, Soucek, Diouf; Bowen, Wilson, Paquetà.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Acheampong, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Pedro Neto, Palmer, Estevao; Joao Pedro.