Premier League: Chelsea vs West Ham preview

Premier League: Chelsea vs West Ham preview
Chelsea are on a five-match winning streak in the Premier League and another victory could put them level on points with leaders Arsenal, who were held to a 2-2 draw at Southampton on Tuesday. Chelsea face West Ham on Wednesday and they will surely gain confidence knowing that the visitors have won just one game from their last nine in all competitions. Moreover, West Ham have not won at Stamford Bridge since 2002, losing seven of their last matches at Chelsea. Last time they met the Blues won 3-0 at Upton Park in November. Chelsea marked Mourinho's 51st birthday advancing to the fifth round of the FA Cup on Sunday, while West Ham have had a weekend off after being eliminated by Nottingham Forest in the third round. West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is fully aware that stopping Chelsea is a very difficult task. "Stopping Oscar, Hazard, Eto'o is one of the elements for us which we have to be very careful of," he said. "When those players get the ball we have to make sure we're very sharp and that we close them down, otherwise their skills and abilities will make life difficult for us." Fernando Torres (knee) remains sidelined for Chelsea, but Nemanja Matic could make his first league start since he returned to the club from Benfica. Mohamed Salah could make his debut for the Blues after being signed from Basel on Sunday. Allardyce has a near fully-fit squad, with former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole and Winston Reid the only players certain to miss out. West Ham's hopes will also be boosted by the arrivals of new signings Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino, who could make the squad for Wednesday's match. Here are the odds for the match at Bet365: Chelsea win - 2/11 Draw - 7/1 West Ham win - 18/1
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