Gittens dropped, Adarabioyo returns: Chelsea predicted XI v West Ham
Chelsea will be seeking their first Premier League win of the season when they travel to West Ham, where Enzo Maresca could drop a summer signing.
Crystal Palace held Chelsea to a 0-0 draw in the Blues’ league opener at Stamford Bridge despite dominating possession in the encounter.
Eberechi Eze had a free-kick disallowed, in what could’ve gave Crystal Palace all three points.
Chelsea travel to the London Stadium to face a West Ham side comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Sunderland in their first match of the campaign to already put Graham Potter under pressure for a result against Maresca’s men.
Maresca welcomes back two stars
Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku will both not be involved against West Ham, with the pair expected to leave Chelsea.
Maresca will also be without Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile through injury.
Centre-back’s Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo though are both back in contention and the latter had built up a partnership with Trevoh Chalobah in pre-season.
| Appearances | 83 |
| Goals | 27 |
| Assists | 15 |
Estevao replaced Jamie Gittens against Palace and has impressed in his first appearances in a Chelsea shirt since signing from Palmerias in the summer.
Despite not being able to continue his goalscoring streak against Palace, Joao Pedro is expected to keep his place in the side ahead of Liam Delap.
Estevoa could provide Chelsea spark
Football Insider Verdict
Maresca needs a performance from his Chelsea side following a slightly underwhelming display against Palace despite the attacking options at his disposal.
A clash with West Ham looks to be the perfect opportunity to get off the mark, with the Hammers looking defensively fragile and weak at Sunderland.
West Ham could struggle in midfield against the pace and athleticism of this Chelsea side.
The atmosphere has been known to turn quickly at the London Stadium when the performance on the pitch is not matching the fan’s expectations, a situation visitors can exploit.
An early Chelsea goal would put them in a strong position to claim all three points, as the Blues clearly struggled against the low-block of Palace and welcome playing against an open West Ham unit.
Gittens has yet to shine in a Chelsea shirt and Estevao’s flair and bright cameos so far could make him a contender for his first ever Premier League start.