Paul Merson thinks West Ham will lose again when they take on Chelsea at the London Stadium on Friday night.
Writing in his column for Sportskeeda, Merson said that he doesn’t believe Graham Potter’s side will be blown away by their opponents, but he still feels the visitors will get all three points:
“You know what? This is a huge, huge game now for both teams. I thought both of them looked very poor last weekend. If Chelsea lose or draw to West Ham, that would be a massive blow. I actually think this will be a hard game for Chelsea, unlike what most people think! West Ham will not come out and have a go at the visitors, they will sit behind the ball and be patient…”
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“West Ham will not want to open this game up. If that happens, there will only be one winner, and that’s Chelsea! So I reckon they will sit back and try to keep Palmer quiet. This is a must-win game for Chelsea, especially since they are a club with huge ambition every year. I’m going to back the Blues to secure a narrow win.”
What score has Merson predicted for West Ham vs Chelsea?
The Sky Sports pundit has gone with a 1-0 victory to the Blues, which would be a very disappointing result for Irons supporters, who will be hoping for a response from their team after the 3-0 defeat to Sunderland last weekend.
Losing for the second week in a row at the start of the campaign would put even more pressure Potter, with it emphasising the need for reinforcements before the transfer window closes.
West Ham vs Chelsea team news
George Earthy will face a late fitness test, having only just returned to team training. Crysencio Summerville (hamstring) and Luis Guilherme (shoulder) are still unavailable.
Chelsea will be without Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia due to knocks, as well as Levi Colwill (ACL). Mykhailo Mudryk is still suspended pending an investigation into a failed drugs test.
Read more about the West Ham First Team Squad for 2025/26 here