West Ham vs Chelsea LIVE: Joao Felix STARTS on his return from suspension as the big spending Blues aim to get back to winning ways in London derby, while the Hammers look for crucial points in their battle against relegation
Follow Sportsmail’s live blog for the Premier League clash between West Ham and Chelsea.
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David Moyes and Graham Potter have just been enjoying a good catch-up on the London Stadium pitch ahead of kick-off.
Potter has received significant backing from the Chelsea ownership despite the Blues picking up just 11 points from 12 league games.
They need to start picking up wins soon to have any chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
It’s been a tricky season for the Hammers this year after finishing in sixth and seventh over the past two campaigns.
David Moyes was under significant pressure heading into their Premier League game against Everton last month – which was dubbed ‘El Sackico’.
The Hammers defeated Frank Lampard’s side 2-0, which led to the former Chelsea midfielder being sacked in a huge result for Moyes and Co.
They then defeated Derby County 2-0 in the FA Cup after beating Brentford 1-0 in the previous round, before picking up an important point against Newcastle last week.
They’re not out of trouble, currently 17th and only one point above Everton, but the outlook is better than it was a few weeks ago.
One positive for Chelsea among their disappointing form is the promising partnership that is developing between Thiago Silva and Benoit Badiashile.
Since the pair played together for the first time, Chelsea are yet to concede in 270 minutes minutes of football against Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Fulham.
Unfortunately, Chelsea only picked up five points and scored just once in those three games, but the defensive solidity is something that Graham Potter will be very happy with.
Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell are among the Chelsea substitutes today with Mount left out while there is increasing speculation over his future at the club.
He is yet to sign an extension to his deal, despite the club wanting him to do so – amid differences over his wage demands and what the Blues are prepared to offer.
Chilwell continues his recovery from injury as does Reece James – the right-back makes such a difference when he plays and Chelsea’s record when he doesn’t feature is markedly worse.
You would be forgiven for having missed any one of Chelsea’s signings last month in among all the drama but the £26m move for PSV’s English winger Madueke is a fascinating one and it is a deal that seems to have gone slightly under the radar.
Despite his immense talent and potential, he is a player who may not be that well-known by Chelsea supporters, particularly compared to some of the other ‘bigger-named’ signings.
Sportsmail spoke to Madueke’s personal coach ahead of his first start for the club this afternoon.
You can read the full story below for an insight into the 20-year-old former Tottenham youngster.
Speaking ahead of today’s game Graham Potter warned there is no silver bullet to solve Chelsea’s goalscoring problem after they have scored just seven goals in 12 games.
However, Potter insisted the return of Joao Felix would give his side a big boost and the Portuguese forward starts today!
The Chelsea boss said: ‘He’s a very gifted individual. Then it’s about how he fits in with the rest of the guys in the team.
‘It’s not necessarily about individuals, silver bullets that can come and fix your problems. It’s not quite as simple as that although it sounds like a nice way to fix the problem.’
It’s an unchanged XI for West Ham who are likely to line up with five-at-the-back again.
Nayef Aguerd was superb in their draw with Newcastle last week, while Declan Rice and Lucas Paqueta are starting to develop a promising partnership in centre-midfield.
Your Hammers for #WHUCHE! ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/a8ZsVeVWGn
It’s an attacking team for Chelsea and that man Joao Felix does start.
It’s the same back four as last week’s game with Fulham as Reece James continues his recovery from injury.
In midfield, Ruben Loftus-Cheek looks like he will slot in next to Enzo Fernandez, while Noni Madueke makes his first start after joining from PSV last month.
Come on Chelsea! 💪@ParimatchGlobal | #WhuChe pic.twitter.com/mGEGWPqnUl
Eagle-eyed watchers of that clip from Chelsea’s twitter account would have seen Joao Felix arriving at the London Stadium.
The Portugal star – who joined the Blues on loan from Atletico Madrid for a £9m fee in January – is back available after being sent off against Fulham on his debut last month.
Felix had looked bright at Craven Cottage before his reckless challenge on Cottagers defender Kenny Tete and his return is a huge boost for Graham Potter.
We will find out in the next few minutes whether he starts today with team news coming imminently.
In the building! 📌 #WhuChe pic.twitter.com/ppOOv2mdjW
It was a busy January for Chelsea as they splurged £323m, bringing in eight players, while they also confirmed that Christopher Nkunku will join in the summer for £63m from RB Leipzig.
Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Malo Gusto, Andrey Santos, David Datro Fofana, Joao Felix and Noni Madueke all joined last month for varying amounts in the Todd Boehly-backed spending spree.
It means the Blues have spent more than £600million on 18 players (16 permanent and two loan deals) in just two transfer windows since they were taken over back in May.
It’s another big weekend of football in the Premier League and for both of these teams.
After spending more than £300m in the January transfer window last month, Chelsea played out a dour 0-0 draw with Fulham last week.
Graham Potter’s side are 10 points off the top four and need to start winning sooner-rather-than-later if they are to have any chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
West Ham meanwhile picked up an important 1-1 draw against high-flying Newcastle last week but find themselves in 17th and just one point above the relegation zone.
And welcome to Sportsmail’s live coverage of the Premier League clash between West Ham and Chelsea at the London Stadium.
Stay with us for all the build-up, teams news and updates from throughout the match as the big-spending Blues look to get back to winning ways against relegation-threatened West Ham.
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