The arrival of December traditionally means a packed fixture list and this year is no exception. A full schedule of games in midweek gives way to a regular Premier League weekend and this is a crucial period for all clubs.
Strength in depth can be key to achieving targets at this time of year and that might just give Chelsea the edge when they travel to the London Stadium on Saturday to take on West Ham (12.30pm; Live on TV: BT Sport 1).
WHUFC vs CFC Match Odds
The match betting is certainly pointing in the direction of an away win with Chelsea clear favourites at a general 4/5 to take all three points. The draw is next at 27/10 (a little over 5/2) while some bookies are quoting a best of 4/1 on victory for West Ham.
Both teams played on Wednesday this week with Chelsea edging past Watford by two goals to one at Vicarage Road. Having taken an early lead at home to Brighton, the Hammers would have been disappointed to have been pulled back to 1-1 by a late Neal Maupay strike.
Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea also lead in the form guide with 14 points from their last six games as opposed to West Ham’s ten. The stats back up the market here but it has been an impressive season for David Moyes’ men and, with home advantage, the Hammers will be targeting a draw at the very least.
Side Markets
The draw is certainly a tempter at that 27/10 price but, before this preview and its betting tips commit, let’s take a look at the players who can change the course of this game. First goalscorer betting shows Romelu Lukaku as favourite to open the scoring and you can currently claim the Belgian striker at 4/1.
Lukaku has been struggling with his fitness lately but he came back into the side as a second half substitute in the win over Watford. Lukaku has four goals in 11 matches so far this season but you should check the team sheets if you want to get behind him here.
Other options in the first goalscorer betting include the Chelsea trio of Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic who are all listed at 11/2 in places. West Ham’s first representative is Michail Antonio who is available at best odds of 8/1.
For longer range options from midfield and beyond, Chelsea’s Mason Mount at 8/1 and West Ham’s Tomas Soucek at 16/1 could be the men to watch. Both are regularly under our radar and they each opened the scoring for their respective clubs in midweek.
Moving away from individual options, Both Teams to Score is on offer at a best of evens. That’s a relatively long price for this market and it’s certainly a tempter based on scoring statistics.
Chelsea have scored 33 goals in just 14 league matches while West Ham have found the net on 25 occasions. The issue with BTTS is that the Blues have conceded just six times so it may be a week to look elsewhere.
Total goals may look more promising with the odds to go Over the 2.5 line standing at even money. By pushing to Over 3.5, we can take that to a generous top price of 14/5.
This preview rounds off with some Correct Score suggestions and, if you feel that this could end in a high scoring draw, the odds for a 2-2 final outcome stand at 18/1. A 3-1 victory in favour of Chelsea is available at 16/1 but, if you feel that West Ham can edge this, a 2-1 home win is quoted at 17/1.
Our Preview’s West Ham vs Chelsea Betting Tips Verdict
There are good reasons to get behind a positive result for West Ham. Wednesday night’s 1-1 home draw would have been disappointing but Brighton have been competitive all season and the Hammers won’t be the only top six team to drop points to Graham Potter’s Seagulls.
Chelsea have that advantage in the table but Watford looked good value for the draw for much of their midweek game. We should also remember that the Blues drew 1-1 at home to Burnley just prior to the most recent international break.
With home advantage and based on their performances over the season, we’ll back West Ham to get a draw out of this game.
As for a side pick, you could back that up with Both Teams to Score. This market rarely reaches evens but there are better odds of 14/5 to go Above the 3.5 line. The bookies clearly feel that Chelsea will need to score the majority of those goals but the Hammers should certainly contribute in what is likely to be an entertaining and closely fought 90 minutes. So these are the betting tips for this WHU vs CFC match preview:
- The draw at 27/10 with Betfair or William Hill.
- Over 3.5 goals at best odds of 3/1 with BetVictor.
Matt Harris is a football writer for Just Bookies. Other sports in his portfolio of specialities include golf and cricket. Matt has contributed to innumerable large organisations and media brands. These include: Betfair, BetVictor, USA Betting & Unibet. 