Graham Potter may have been given a golden opportunity to kickstart West Ham’s season, with the club believing four key Chelsea stars could miss their Premier League clash.
The fact West Ham rolled over and were well beaten by newly-promoted Sunderland 3-0 in the season-opener does not bode well for a game against world champions Chelsea.
Logic says if West Ham couldn’t cope with the Black Cats then what chance do they have against Graham Potter’s old side.
Chelsea have been hoovering up some of the best young talent from across the world.
Meanwhile West Ham are literally picking up free agent scraps such as Callum Wilson amid what is looking like a disastrous summer rebuild which promised much but has delivered little.
Hammers face daunting Chelsea task with Potter under pressure
West Ham have been tipped to be relegated from the Premier League.
The chasm between the two London rivals is illustrated by the fact many believe Chelsea will win it.
Potter is already feeling the heat having overseen a dismal first six months at the Hammers helm last season.
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In his first job since his Chelsea sacking, the 50-year-old Englishman is struggling to convince.
Potter’s record now stands at just five wins from his 20 games in charge.
Given the difficult run the Hammers have to start the season, there are grave concerns and doom and gloom around east London ahead of the visit of Chelsea to the London Stadium.
West Ham boss Graham Potter embraces Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca on his return to Stamford Bridge
Photo by Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
The only way to change that is for West Ham to put in a performance that shows Potter is working to a style of play that excites and can get results.
West Ham actually played well, took the lead and deserved more from their trip to Stamford Bridge under Potter earlier this year, which ended in a 2-1 defeat.
To avoid things turning toxic very early, the Hammers know they must try and get a shock win over the Blues.
And it could be Potter’s golden chance as West Ham think four key Chelsea stars will miss the clash.
West Ham have issues across the team which were brutally exposed at Sunderland.
By contrast, Chelsea have quality strength in depth in almost every position.
Potter’s golden chance as West Ham think four Chelsea stars out
But one area they don’t have that depth – by Enzo Maresca’s own admission – is central defence.
While the Hammers had a disastrous start to the new campaign, Chelsea’s certainly didn’t blow anyone away.
The Blues drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace but were fortunate not to lose when Eberechi Eze saw a free-kick goal ruled out.
Palace’s result against Chelsea was not lost on West Ham fans, giving some semblance of hope they might be able to get a positive outcome at the London Stadium.
It’s hard to say whether there is a good time to face a team like Chelsea, given the attacking quality at their disposal.
But it seems this Friday night might just be it.
Chelsea defenders Tosin Adarabioyo and Levi Colwill travel to a game
Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Because in West Ham’s official preview for Chelsea, the club state they believe central defenders Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoît Badiashile and midfield star Romeo Lavia will all miss the West Ham match along with Levi Colwill, who is out for the season.
Striker Nicolas Jackson is back available after being suspended for the Crystal Palace clash last weekend.
But he is unlikely to feature with Chelsea looking to sell the forward.
Maresca is a big fan of Adarabioyo, who was a target for the Hammers last summer, and admitted it was a blow to lose him on the eve of the new season.
Badiashile, another former Hammers target, is now out until September reports have claimed.
Chelsea’s rookie teen centre-back gives Hammers hope
Without those three centre-backs, Chelsea look likely to continue with yet another former West Ham target in Trevoh Chalobah and, perhaps crucially, 19-year-old Waltham Forest-born rookie Josh Acheampong.
West Ham’s ageing strikeforce of Niclas Fullkrug and Callum Wilson is seen as a big problem for the season ahead.
But the experience of Fullkrug and Wilson up against that weakened Chelsea central defensive partnership could be West Ham’s big hope for a much-needed victory.
One player West Ham fans will be interested to keep an eye on, if he plays, will be Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos.
The Hammers allegedly made a £45m bid for the 18-year-old, who shone on loan at Strasbourg last season.
But it was rejected and Chelsea told the Hammers not to bother trying again.
West Ham vs Chelsea is live on Sky Sports, kick-off 8pm.