Football
West ham vs Chelsea: Punters pile into away win as odds shorten on Blues
West Ham and Chelsea go out against each other on Friday night to earn their first three points of the season after failing to do so on Matchday 1.
Dave James, Odds expert comments:
Chelsea make the short trip across London tonight to face West Ham, and punters are firmly backing the Blues to deliver. Money continues to come in for Enzo Maresca’s side, with odds of 8/11 on the away win shortening as confidence grows. West Ham, struggling to find consistency, have drifted to 4/1 for the home win, while a share of the spoils is currently priced at 3/1. Bookmakers clearly see Chelsea as favourites to heap further pressure on the Hammers.
Where to watch: West Ham United vs Chelsea will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League TV in the United Kingdom. The game will kick off at 8 pm BST at the London Stadium on August 22, 2025.
West Ham’s Premier League opener did not go according to plan as they were thrashed 3-0 by newly promoted Sunderland. Eliezer Mayenda, Daniel Ballard and Wilson Isidor were on the scoresheet for The Black Cats as they grabbed their first English top-flight win in eight years.
The opening day result has put manager Graham Potter under immense pressure as his side does not have a favourable run of games coming up. There was a noticeable deficiency in squad performance and managerial decisions in the Sunderland match, but all of those need to addressed quickly to avoid being the first coach in the Premier League this season to get the boot for Potter.
Callum Wilson could get a full debut against Chelsea since he only came off the bench in The Hammerers’ last match. Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez and Andy Irving are in contention to start as James Ward-Prowse is likely to be benched.
Despite riding on their Club World Cup triumph festivities, Chelsea were held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace in the Premier League opening weekend.
Enzo Maresca’s men were quite relieved to come off the match with a point since they had already seen Eberechi Eze find the back of the net through a free-kick.
However, the goal was ruled out by VAR due to a minor infringement, which led to much controversy.
The Blues started the season with high hopes after landing the Conference League last campaign and then with the success in Stateside, but fans are now reconsidering their expectations after watching Chelsea’s first performance.
Chelsea have three London derbies coming up as they face West Ham, Fulham and Brentford in consecutive upcoming matchdays.
Nine points from these games will put The Stamford Bridge dwellers right back on contention to be early league leaders. Maresca knows this, and it is time for him to rally his men to prove themselves on the pitch.
Considering both teams’ forms, a comfortable victory for Chelsea is predicted.
