Chelsea vs. West Ham Preview
Where: Stamford Bridge – London, England
When: Monday, August 15, 3:00 PM ET
Line: Chelsea -179 vs. West Ham +414, tie +265; total 2.5 – view all EPL soccer lines
TV Broadcast: USA Network
Writer’s Pick: Chelsea
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Offensive Edge – Chelsea (-179)
Hazard, who was arguably the team’s biggest underperformer last season, should be in a much better position to start this campaign. The 2015 PFA Player of the Season finally started playing well at the tail-end of last season. He also had a very good Euro 2016 as he helped Belgium to a quarterfinal finish.
Speaking of good Euros, Dimitri Payet was arguably the best player of the tournament during the group stages. Now, he returns to West Ham, where his nine goals and 12 assists led his team to 65 goals (tied for fourth in the league) last season.
The Hammers will have a bit more weapons around him, Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll this year. They added striker Andre Ayew and talented midfielder Sofiane Feghouli during the offseason. Carroll’s aerial prowess will cause Chelsea problems. The striker scored in both of West Ham’s meetings with Chelsea last season. The Hammers grabbed a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Defensive Edge – Chelsea (-179)
Despite lingering concerns about the center of Chelsea’s defense with Gary Cahill and an aging John Terry, the Blues should still have the edge over West Ham.
As Conte showed with Italy in the Euros, he knows how to organize his defense and maximize the players at his disposal. And with Chelsea, he’ll have a pair of excellent defensive midfielders in Nemanja Matic and new signing N’Golo Kante to shield his potentially vulnerable backline.
Meanwhile, the Hammers’ defense remains their weak spot. They gave up 51 goals last season, and didn’t really make any signings to improve that part of their team. Basically the same personnel will be back this season. On the bright side, Adrian was one of the league’s best goalkeepers last season, and has the ability to keep his team in the game away from home.
Writer’s Prediction: Conte starts his Chelsea career on the right foot as his side claims a 1-0 win (-179) over West Ham.
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