Chelsea past and Chelsea present butt heads in Monday night's Premier League offering, as the Blues welcome Graham Potter back to Stamford Bridge for their London derby with West Ham United.
While Enzo Maresca's men failed to cling onto a lead that was gifted to them against Manchester City last weekend, the Irons' 1-1 draw with Aston Villa had the feeling of two points dropped.
Match preview
Just 90 minutes separated Chelsea from an unbeaten January sequence, having steadied the sinking ship with two wins and two stalemates to kick off the new year, and Abdukodir Khusanov's present for Noni Madueke briefly had the Blues in dreamland at the Etihad.
However, the Citizens' ceaseless pressure eventually told as marauding left-back Josko Gvardiol levelled matters three minutes prior to the break, before Erling Haaland capitalised on some questionable Robert Sanchez goalkeeping and also laid on an exquisite assist for Phil Foden in a 3-1 comeback triumph.
Strengthening Maresca's previous bold claim that his side should not be considered genuine contenders for the Premier League title, the Blues' charge for glory is all but dead in the water, and not even a top-seven finish is a guarantee with Aston Villa and Bournemouth in the conversation.
Defeat at the Etihad may have represented Chelsea's only loss in their last five outings, but only one of the hosts' last seven Premier League contests has seen Maresca's team come up trumps, even though they have drawn first blood in five of their last six top-flight contests.
An inability to hold onto slender advantages has proven fatal to Chelsea's chances of upsetting the title apple cart, and defensive deficiencies often rear their ugly heads at Stamford Bridge, where the Blues have conceded in 10 of their 11 Premier League games this term.
Chelsea's one clean sheet in that sequence came against Aston Villa, whom upcoming opponents West Ham conceded first against when Jacob Ramsey fired home on the eight-minute mark, but another crushing injury blow to Tyrone Mings changed the course of the contest.
Potter's men came away with a hard-earned point courtesy of an Emerson Palmieri header, as the Irons' wing-back system created chaos and overloads against a beleaguered Villa backline, one that was fortunate not to have been breached again by Tomas Soucek in a near carbon copy of the Emerson equaliser.
The Hammers should have travelled home bemoaning their missed opportunities for just a second win under Potter, who memorably made waves during his earliest days as Chelsea boss in 2022 before things quickly went awry, culminating in his sacking after just 31 games in charge.
However, Potter could now achieve a feat that no former Chelsea boss has managed previously - win a Premier League game against the Blues at Stamford Bridge - and a seven-match scoring streak on the road in all competitions stands the Irons in relatively good stead.
The less said about West Ham's recent dealings with Chelsea the better, though, as the Hammers put in a pitiful performance in a 3-0 home defeat to the Blues in September, a few months on from suffering a 5-0 Stamford Bridge slaughter towards the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
Team News
Maresca confirmed in his pre-game press conference that he expects to have an identical selection of players available from the previous gameweek, meaning no Mykhaylo Mudryk (suspended), Omari Kellyman (hamstring), Romeo Lavia (thigh), Wesley Fofana (hamstring) or Benoit Badiashile (thigh) again.
Culpable for Haaland's effort at the Etihad, Sanchez has now made five mistakes directly leading to a goal in the current Premier League season, the most of any Chelsea player on record and a joint-high for the season alongside Ipswich Town's Arijanet Muric.
Filip Jorgensen has surely never been so close to number one promotion, but Maresca has leapt to the defence of Sanchez, who may just about hold onto the gloves for the time being.
As for the Irons, Potter had a pleasing update to share on foot victim Jarrod Bowen when he faced the media, revealing that the former Hull City man has been involved in training over the past few days and is "hopeful" of being back for the London derby.
The same goes for Lucas Paqueta (groin), although the Brazilian is more of a doubt than Bowen, but Crysencio Summerville (hamstring), Michail Antonio (leg), Niclas Fullkrug (thigh) and Jean-Clair Todibo (unspecified) should miss out once more.
On the disciplinary front, Dinos Mavropanos is back from suspension and could slot straight back into Potter's back three, potentially in place of the veteran Aaron Cresswell.
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Areola; Coufal, Kilman, Mavropanos; Wan-Bissaka, Soucek, Alvarez, Emerson; Paqueta, Kudus; Bowen
We say: Chelsea 3-1 West Ham United
Rarely are West Ham's attackers kept at bay on rival turf, and Bowen's expected return would be a monumental boost for the Irons; the 28-year-old has been involved in nearly a third of the visitors' top-flight goals this season.
However, the odd consolation is all that West Ham should be shouting about come full time, as a well-rested Chelsea unit should condemn Potter to a harsh welcome back and reignite their Champions League pursuit in the process.
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