Premier League: Midfield Stars Take the Spotlight in This Spicy London Battle

West Ham United vs Chelsea

One of the biggest Premier League transfer sagas in recent memory was the switch of Moises Caicedo from Brighton to Chelsea. It was drawn out for weeks this summer, and the hope for Chelsea is that it is all worth it considering the price they had to pay to get him.

And the Ecuadorian midfielder (along with fellow summer signing Romeo Lavia) might make his Blues debut on Sunday when they pay a visit to the London Stadium, where they’ll face West Ham United.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men are fresh from a 1-1 home draw against Liverpool last weekend, while West Ham United also had the same result against Bournemouth on the road.

The Hammers and the Gunners are eager to grab their first victory this 2023-24 season, but only one of them can do so this weekend.

Talking Points

West Ham United’s revamped midfield post-Rice

For $38 million and a four-year contract, West Ham United acquired Ward-Prowse to fill the void left by Declan Rice, who left for Arsenal earlier this offseason.

Ward-Prowse is fresh from a productive 2022-23 campaign, but he needed to find a new home after Southampton were relegated to the EFL Championship when they finished at the bottom of the Premier League table last season.

The 28-year-old certainly adds quality to the Hammers’ midfield, which already has Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta, as his arrival gives them a deadly set-piece taker.  Ward-Prowse is second behind David Beckham on the list for having the most goals scored via free-kicks (17), and he can easily surpass the Manchester United icon with the Hammers this season.

Other than James Ward-Prowse, the Hammers also signed another midfielder, Edson Alvarez. The former Ajax man became the fourth Mexican player in West Ham United’s 128-year history, following in the footsteps of Guillermo Franco, Pablo Barrera, and Javier Hernandez.

While Ward-Prowse is flair and creativity personified, Alvarez is more of an enforcer who brings toughness and physicality to the Hammers’ midfield.

Chelsea can cope with their fitness issues

Mauricio Pochettino won’t have a complete squad to choose from this weekend because they’ve been bit by the injury bug.

Team captain Reece James limped off against Liverpool due to a hamstring injury, and it is feared that he might be out for months because of it.

The absence of fellow defenders Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile, and Wesley Fofana weakened Chelsea’s defencive depth, while Christopher Nkunku is going to be out for a significant period after sustaining an injury during pre-season.

But if there’s one area of strength for the Blues, it’s in the middle of the park. Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia are two of the hottest young prospects in the world today, which is why both were acquired via huge transfer fees.

Caicedo was one of the reasons why Brighton will play European football this season. Despite his modest numbers, he is the ideal box-to-box midfielder, and he’s only 21 years old.

Lavia was James Ward-Prowse’s midfield partner last season, and he is only 19. Bring them alongside World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez, and Chelsea are going to be a handful to deal with despite their injuries.

History

The Hammers haven’t defeated the Blues since December 2021, but they managed to get a 1-1 draw in their most recent meeting in February. In the said home game for West Ham United, Joao Felix and Emerson Palmieri both found the back of the net.

Despite having solid home form towards the end of last season, defeating Manchester United and Leeds United in May, West Ham United have lost their first Premier League home match of the season in four of the last five campaigns.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have had poor Premier League 2023 results, winning just five of their last 30 Premier League matches (D11, L14), when Graham Potter and Frank Lampard took turns at the helm.

Betting Tip

The Premier League 2023 odds favour the visitors for this game, as Chelsea are priced to win at 1.99, while West Ham United are at 3.30, and a draw is installed at 3.40 in the 1X2 market.

SBOTOP football fans can expect a handful of goals in this fixture, so you may want to take a look at Total Goals 2-3 at 1.90 and Over 2.50 at 1.97 as your alternative bets.

In a game that will turn out to be a battle of the midfield, Chelsea have the edge in that department, so we envision them beating their hosts on Sunday.

 

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