Football
Football
Match Preview
Gambling
News

West Ham vs Chelsea Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction

Date: Saturday, January 31 Venue: Stamford Bridge Kick-off: 5:30pm GMT Chelsea and West Ham face off at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, January 31, and it could be feisty. The animosity displayed over the years means they will garner plenty of attraction from the most reputable football betting sites which will have an array of markets for punters to try out. The contrast in fortunes between these two clubs couldn’t be much starker. Chelsea have been inconsistent, but they are still in the hunt for a Champions League spot as they are currently fifth, while West Ham have been marooned in the bottom three for much of the campaign, but five points from safety.

Charles Perrin
Charles Perrin

Last updated: 2026-01-27

Chad Nagel

4 minutes read

SportsBoom offers honest and impartial UK bookmaker reviews to help you make informed choices. While we may earn commissions through affiliate links, our content remains independent and free from promotional influence. For more information, see our Content Transparency and How We Review pages.

Pedro Neto of Chelsea celebrates after scoring a goal

Pedro Neto of Chelsea / Getty Images

West Ham won’t want reminding of their horror show against the Blues back in August, where they slumped to an embarrassing 5-1 defeat at the London Stadium when Graham Potter was in charge. What should we expect this time? Our preview outlines some useful football betting strategies to check out.

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Chelsea Widely Fancied

Pre-match betting odds are a great starting point for making picks, and one of our recommended online betting sites has outlined the game’s matchwinner prices:

  1. Home: 4/9 (1.44) – 69.2%

  2. Draw: 18/5 (4.60) – 21.7%

  3. Away: 11/2 (6.50) – 15.4%
    *Odds courtesy of Spreadex, subject to change.

Head-to-Head Record

Premier League head-to-head records serve a purpose, so let’s see how previous encounters between Chelsea and West Ham have panned out.

Last Five Meetings (Premier League)

  1. 22/08/25: West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

  2. 03/02/25: Chelsea 2-1 West Ham

  3. 21/09/24: West Ham 0-3 Chelsea

  4. 05/05/24: Chelsea 5-0 West Ham

  5. 20/08/23: West Ham 3-1 Chelseaa

Chelsea Current Form – DDLWW

Chelsea have often been seen as a club in transition, and it applies now, considering they recently replaced Enzo Maresca with Liam Rosenior in the dugout.

Inevitably, it will take time for him to transmit his ideas, and of course, getting the players to appreciate his new philosophy. However, the early signs look positive, and they produced an immaculate display in the 2-0 win over Brentford, with Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer supplying the goals. The 3-1 victory away to Crystal Palace was also a serious statement.

The way in which Chelsea made light work of West Ham in August was impressive, but they will need to be professional if they wish to complete a league double over a Hammers side fighting to salvage their top-flight status.

Key Players to Watch

  • Cole Palmer
    While injuries have limited his involvement this term, Cole Palmer has a swagger about him and is ice cool in front of goal. He’s slowly coming back into form, netting twice in his past four league outings, and he has the X-factor.
  • Joao Pedro
    A silky smooth operator, Joao Pedro has weighed in with 10 goal involvements (seven goals and three assists), and he sends a shiver down the spines of defenders. He could make life very difficult for the visitors.
  • Enzo Fernandez
    A fabulous box-to-box player, Enzo Fernandez carries a significant attacking threat. He’s chipped in with six goals this term, and his xG (expected goals) ratio is 7.81 which is extraordinary!. 

Chelsea Team News

Although Palmer was replaced by Estevao against Palace, he should be passed fit, but Filip Jorgensen remains unavailable after having a scan for a knock he sustained.

West Ham Current Form – DLLWW

For a large chunk of the campaign, West Ham have been dismal. They have looked vulnerable from set-pieces, and they have shipped more goals than any other side this term (45)

However, they showed some resilience and attacking ambition against Tottenham, leaving the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with all three points after a last-gasp 2-1 win. That was followed up with a stirring 3-1 victory at home to Sunderland.

Traditionally, West Ham have folded against Chelsea, and they will need to be more compact if they are going to secure their first win at the Bridge since November 2019.

Key Players to Watch

  • Jarrod Bowen
    Captain Marvel, Jarrod Bowen is West Ham’s top scorer with six league goals to his name. He’s scored twice against the Blues in the past, so the home side must be wary.
  • Crysencio Summerville
    On target against Tottenham and Sunderland, Crysencio Summerville is a bundle of energy. He will look to stretch the Chelsea defence, and he could hold the key to West Ham’s chances of success.
  • Mateus Fernandes
    A precocious talent, Mateus Fernandes has been a bright spark for the Hammers, and he’s contributed three goals and two assists this season, so Chelsea can’t afford him too much time or space on the ball.

West Ham Team News

Lukasz Fabianski remains sidelined with a back injury, while Lucas Paqueta is a doubt.

Predicted Line-Ups

  1. Chelsea (4-2-3-1)

    Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella, Santos, Caicedo, Estevao, Fernandez, Neto; Pedro

  2. West Ham (4-4-1-1)

    Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Todibo, Scarles, Bowen, Soucek, Fernandes, Summerville, Pablo; Castellanos

Suggested Bets

Premier League sportsbooks are always stacked with odds, and we’ve revealed some tasty football betting tips to latch onto.

  1. Over 2.5 Goals: Each of the past five league encounters has seen the Over 2.5 goals line fulfilled, so don’t overlook this market! (8/15 with 10bet)

  2. Chelsea to Win & BTTS: Chelsea have triumphed in two of their past three league clashes with both teams scoring, so combine the win market with the BTTS line. (13/8 with Betfred)

  3. Chelsea Total Goals Over 1.5: Chelsea have racked up the goals in recent league meetings, so Over 1.5 goals for them seems a fair assumption to make. (2/5 with QuinnBet)

Value Bets

A welcome bonus can give new customers extra balance to explore value bets like combination markets, half-time/full-time, or correct score options.

  1. Chelsea to Win to Nil: Chelsea have been ruthless against West Ham recently, and they’ve won two of their past four clashes to nil, and this has value attached to it. (17/10 with William Hill)

  2. Anytime Assist – Cole Palmer: Although he hasn’t registered an assist this term for Chelsea, Palmer is often selfless, and he could break his duck against West Ham. (21/10 with BetMGM)

  3. Alejandro Garnacho to Score from Outside the Box: Alejandro Garnacho has a penchant for the spectacular, and the special for him to score outside the area could be worth tapping up. (7/1 with LeoVegas)

Prediction: Chelsea to Win & BTTS

For all their inconsistencies, Chelsea are firmly in the mix for a top-four spot, and Rosenior could give them a new lease of life they need.

Against West Ham earlier in the campaign, they were clinical, and they put the Hammers to the sword. Although West Ham need a positive result at the Bridge to bolster their survival chances, it’s hard to make a case for them. A home win and BTTS has legs to it.

Charles Perrin
Charles PerrinSports Writer

Charles Perrin has spent over six years writing about sports betting, working with some of the UK’s top sportsbooks, including bet365 and William Hill.

Related Content