West Ham v Chelsea Tip

Sam Allardyce will have detested his side’s second half capitulation against Norwich last time out when the Hammers turned a 1-0 lead into a 3-1 defeat. After a rare defensive collapse, Big Sam will have spent the last fortnight doing his upmost to ensure there isn’t a repeat here.

That ought to guarantee a cautious opening from West Ham, even at home, and I like the look of ‘Half time: Draw - Full time: Chelsea’ at smart odds of 18/5 with WilliamHill. That bookmaker is offering your money back on double result bets (HT-FT) if the fixture ends 0-0. Four of West Ham’s 11 league fixtures in 2013-14 so far have ended as such. We must therefore have a great chance of at least a refund on Saturday night.

Chelsea had a really troubled couple of weeks in the top flight before the international break but it seems inconceivable that they won’t turn it around very soon. Mourinho has been up to his old tricks, creating a siege mentality around refereeing controversy that his own side actually benefitted from! He has a great personal record against Allardyce and that should continue here, perhaps after a cagey first half.

*If a match finishes 0-0, William Hill will refund losing Correct Score and Double Result (HT-FT) bets on that match as a free bet up to £50.