Chelsea take on West Ham this weekend looking to break into the top four.
Liam Rosenior’s men have closed the gap in recent weeks, leapfrogging Liverpool in the process.
The Blues are in good form under their new boss, losing just once under his stewardship so far.
In fact, Chelsea have won five of the six matches they have played with Rosenior at the helm, and the most recent was a comeback victory at Napoli in the Champions League in midweek.
The west London club got one over the Serie A champions and their former manager Antonio Conte, despite falling 2-1 behind at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
A 3-2 win in Naples followed a 3-1 victory at Crystal Palace, and those results have seen Chelsea qualify automatically for the Champions League knockout stages and move up to fifth in the Premier League table.
They are just one point off fourth-placed Manchester United, while last week’s win at Selhurst Park had them move above Liverpool, who were beaten by Bournemouth in stoppage time last time out.
As for West Ham, there has been a slight resurgence in recent weeks under Nuno Espirito Santo.
The Irons are still in a relegation dogfight, but have closed the gap on those above them to five points.
The Hammers have cobbled together three wins from their last three in all competitions, starting with a 2-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup third round.
A shock 2-1 win at Tottenham followed, before they brushed Sunderland aside 3-1 at the London Stadium.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Chelsea vs West Ham is scheduled for a 5.30pm GMT kick-off on Saturday, January 31, 2026.
The match will take place at Stamford Bridge.
Where to watch Chelsea vs West Ham
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage starting at 5pm GMT ahead of the 5.30pm GMT kick off.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Dom Smith at the ground.
Chelsea vs West Ham team news
There should be some positive news for Chelsea in that Cole Palmer played against Napoli despite being dropped to the bench for the final Champions League game of the league phase.
Rosenior explained his decision, saying that there was “no way” that the Blues’ No10 could have started the match.
“I think it's a combination of both,” he said when asked about Palmer’s fitness and pre-planning the attacking midfielder’s minutes.
“There's no way Cole could have started this game and played 60 or 70 minutes.
“We need to look after him. The way he's managed himself in the last two weeks has been magnificent.”
Elsewhere for Chelsea, it is the same old story with longer-term absentees Dario Essugo, Levi Colwill and Romeo Lavia still out.
Defender Tosin Adarabioyo has joined them on the treatment table after suffering a hamstring injury.
For West Ham, the big talking point is that they will be without Lucas Paqueta once again, but this time, it is not injury-related.
The Brazilian missed the Sunderland match with a lower back injury, but behind the scenes, he has been trying to force a move back to Brazil.
That looks like it is now happening, with the Hammers agreeing a deal with Flamengo for Paqueta’s exit.
As such, one would assume that the midfielder has played his last game in a claret and blue shirt.
The Irons’ only other absentee is back-up goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianksi, who is also out with a back injury.
There could be a debut for new signing Adama Traore, who was signed from Fulham earlier this week, with the Spaniard reuniting with his old boss Nuno after their time together at Wolves.
Chelsea vs West Ham prediction
For all West Ham’s good work in the last couple of weeks, Chelsea are in form here and showed a great amount of character to bounce back against Napoli.
Joao Pedro is finding his goalscoring touch, while Palmer could return to the starting XI in a welcome boost after a sublime cameo appearance in Italy.
Add in the Blues’ strength in depth, and you would expect a home win here.
Chelsea to win, 3-1.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Chelsea wins: 58
West Ham wins: 44
Draws: 23
Chelsea vs West Ham match odds
Chelsea to win: 4/9
West Ham to win: 4/1
Draws: 11/4
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
