West Ham v Chelsea Tip

With the negativity surrounding the appointment of Rafa Benitez, this looks like the ideal time to play Chelsea. West Ham are 10/3 for the victory with Betfred, the same price as before the unpopular Spaniard arrived, and that’s too long to turn down.

The Blues haven’t won since 20 October in the Premier League, a run of six matches. They have badly missed the leadership of Terry and Lampard in recent outings and consecutive 0-0 draws at home have done nothing to lift the mood. When Martin Jol feels that a mere point at Stamford Bridge was a missed opportunity for Fulham then you know Chelsea are in a mess.

On the other hand, the Hammers were perhaps unlucky not to grab a draw at Old Trafford in midweek. Sam Allardyce’s boys acquitted themselves well after suffering the body blow of conceding to Van Persie after only 32 seconds. Not many teams only lose 1-0 in those circumstances against Manchester United.

But West Ham are always a team you would feel more comfortable backing on their own patch anyway. They have only lost once at Upton Park in 2012-13. Having run Man City close and led Arsenal, this is now West Ham’s best chance of claiming a big scalp on their return to the top flight.