West Ham United and Chelsea will be desperate to kick-start their 2025/26 Premier League campaigns with a win when they face off at the London Stadium on Friday.
The 2025/26 Premier League season resumes with Gameweek 2 on Friday. The latest round of fixtures begins with a London derby, with West Ham United vs Chelsea kicking things off at the London Stadium. Both sides are eager for a win after failing to clinch three points in their opening fixtures.
West Ham United could not have asked for a worse start to the 2025/26 season. While the East London outfit showed promising signs during the pre-season campaign, the opening game exposed the shortcomings in Graham Potter’s squad, as Sunderland cruised to a shock 3-0 win over them at the Stadium of Light. So, it is back to the drawing board for Potter and his charges.
On the other hand, Chelsea produced a toothless display that lacked inspiration and imagination in the 2025/26 Premier League season-opening goalless stalemate against Crystal Palace. While the Blues dominated possession, their visitors produced more shots on target and needed a referee’s intervention to stop them from winning the game. The lack of preparations ahead of the new campaign was visible, and Enzo Maresca will hope his men gain more rhythm this week.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Chelsea cruise to a 3-0 win, with Nicolas Jackson (brace) and Cole Palmer finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
West Ham United
Graham Potter has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The West Ham United manager will be bereft of the services of two first-team players vs Chelsea on Friday.
Crysencio Summerville (hamstring) and Luis Guilherme (shoulder) remain on the sidelines. However, George Earthy has resumed training after recovering from an ankle issue. Meanwhile, Edson Alvarez will unlikely feature on Friday, as he is closing in on joining Fenerbahce.
Mads Hermansen will retain his spot between the sticks, with West Ham United lining up in a 3-4-3 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Friday. The central defensive unit will feature Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, and Nayef Aguerd. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf will likely start as the two wing-backs.
As for the midfield unit, Tomas Soucek should line up alongside Guido Rodriguez in the middle of the park, with James Ward-Prowse dropping to the bench. Finally, Callum Wilson may get the nod over Niclas Fullkrug to lead the line for West Ham against Chelsea, with Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta completing the numbers in the offensive third.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Hermansen; Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd; Wan-Bissaka, Soucek, Rodriguez, Diouf; Bowen, Wilson, Paqueta
Chelsea
Like his counterpart in the West Ham United dugout, Enzo Maresca has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of the short trip to the London Stadium. The Chelsea manager will be without five first-team players on Friday.
Tosin Adarabioyo is fit and available after recovering from a minor issue. However, Levi Colwill (knee), Benoit Badiashile (knock), Romeo Lavia (match fitness), and Omari Kellyman (hamstring) remain on the sidelines, with Mykhailo Mudryk still serving a suspension for failing a doping test. Meanwhile, Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku will not be in the travelling squad as they look to sort out their futures.
Robert Sanchez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs West Ham United on Friday. The backline should feature Reece James, Josh Acheampong, Trevoh Chalobah, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in the double pivot. Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Estevao Willian and Pedro Neto being the two wide attackers. Finally, Joao Pedro should lead the line for Chelsea again, with Liam Delap being an option on the bench.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Acheampong, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Estevao, Palmer, Neto; Joao Pedro
Key Stats
West Ham United have won four of their last eight home Premier League games vs Chelsea (D2 L2). However, the East London outfit lost 3-0 at the London Stadium in the 2024/25 season, last suffering consecutive home league defeats to the Blues in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 campaigns. The Blues have won five of their seven most recent Premier League meetings with West Ham (D1 L1), and they have overall 32 wins in the competition against the Hammers, only beating Tottenham Hotspur more often (37).
West Ham United lost 3-0 to Sunderland in Gamweek 1 this season. The Hammers have started a Premier League season with consecutive defeats on eight previous occasions, most recently in 2022/23, with only Southampton (9) losing the first two matches in a Premier League campaign more often.
Chelsea produced 19 shots without scoring in Gameweek 1 during the goalless draw with Crystal Palace. The Blues have not failed to score in their first two league matches of a campaign since the 1995/96 campaign, when they opened with two goalless draws.
West Ham United have won only two of their nine home Premier League matches under Graham Potter (D3 L4), picking up nine points. No West Ham manager has ever won fewer than ten points in his first ten home games in the competition.
Mads Hermansen conceded three goals on his West Ham United debut last weekend away at Sunderland. The Dane has kept only one clean sheet in 28 Premier League appearances (3.6%), the joint-second lowest rate of any goalkeeper to play 20+ games in Premier League history, ahead of only Wes Foderingham (3.3%).
Prediction
Jarrod Bowen
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While Cole Palmer, Estevao Willian, and Lucas Paqueta were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Jarrod Bowen as the Player to Watch for Friday’s Premier League clash between West Ham United and Chelsea at the London Stadium.
West Ham’s struggles in the 2025/26 Premier League season-opening fixture suggests Bowen will become an even bigger pivotal figure for the East London outfit. However, his record in recent London derbies should provide cause for optimism to Graham Potter and the West Ham fans.
The English international has scored three goals in his last four Premier League London derbies, finding the back of the net in his two most recent games against Arsenal and Tottenham. Only four West Ham players have scored in three successive derby appearances in the competition, most recently Michail Antonio in 2019.
Prediction
West Ham United 1-2 Chelsea
Chelsea may have been uninspiring last weekend against Crystal Palace, but they still have incredible quality across the pitch. Additionally, West Ham United’s defensive struggles mean the away side should produce more chances during Friday’s Premier League clash at the London Stadium.
However, the Blues have struggled on their travels in the Premier League in the last 12 months, and West Ham should have some bright moments in the final third. But that may not be enough, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Enzo Maresca and his charges.