Few, if any dates on the West Ham calendar are as big as when Chelsea make the trek across Londontown, and as this will also be their home opener for the new season, they will certainly be up for it … especially after the shambolic opening day defeat to newly promoted Sunderland last weekend.
Ex-Chelsea sadman Graham Potter is already in full self-defense mode — “I have no doubt whatsoever about my ability”, he says — having won a grand total of five (5) games since his appointment 20 games ago in early
January. The football gods are nothing if not mischievous however, and the idea to manifest win number six might be entering their twisted brains right about now.
To overcome that, we’re going to have to do a bit better with the ball than on Sunday, when we failed to generate any real sustained threat and managed turn 20 shots and 1.6-2.1 xG (depending on who you ask) into zero actual goals. Sometimes it’s about quality rather than quantity.
It’s still very early in the season, but this feels like an important game to win. The season may be a marathon, as Cole Palmer said, but even marathons are harder if you have to play catch-up after mile 2.
Date / Time: Friday, August 22, 2025, 20.00 BST; 3pm EDT; 12:30am IST (next day)
Venue: London Stadium, East London
Referee: Michael Oliver (on pitch); Jarred Gillett (VAR)
Forecast: A bit breezy
On TV: Sky Sports Main Event (UK); USA, Universo (USA); Star Sports Select HD1 (India); SuperSport Premier League, Canal+ Sport 3 (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: Sky Go (UK); NBC Sports Live, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA); Disney+ Hotstar (India); DStv Now (NGA)
West Ham United team news: It’s been a relatively quiet summer at West Ham, though several familiar (and mostly older) names left the club as free agents, including Michael Antonio, Kurt Zouma, Aaron Cresswell, Danny Ings, Łukasz Fabianski, and Vladimír Coufal. Perhaps most impactfully, inconsistent dangerman Mohammed Kudus went to Spurs in a big-money move, and has not been replaced. Emerson Palmieri’s still here, starting his fourth season.
They did sign a new goalkeeper, Mads Hermansen from Leicester City (who was linked to Chelsea last summer), a couple new full backs, and took in veteran striker Callum Wilson after he peaced out of Newcastle. Not much to send pulses racing — and G-Money ain’t happy with that — but they still have Lucas Paquetá, and he can certainly kick some people.
Their only injury of note is young winger Crysencio Summerville, who’s in the latter stages of recovering from hamstring surgery in the spring.
Chelsea team news: Chelsea’s injury list is somewhat longer, but we do have some good news in that regard, with Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana both declared fit. Benoît Badiashile and Roméo Lavia are getting close as well. That said, Academy-man Josh Acheampong did just fine in deputizing for Levi Colwill’s ACL last weekend.
Our attack was a bit less fine, so we might see some changes there, with the wonderboy Estêvão possibly in line for his first start. Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku remain in transfer limbo and not in the matchday squad (and Jackson’s suspended anyway: the third game of his three-match ban).
Previously: We actually did the double over West Ham last season, including a 3-0 win away. That was our first win at the London Stadium in four visits. Jackson scored a brace in that one. How unuseful!
