To help commence a weekend of EPL action, Chelsea (10 wins, 1 loss, 3 draws) travels to Olympic Stadium to take on West Ham United (7-4-3). The kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. ET. Below, we preview the West Ham vs. Chelsea odds and lines, and make our best EPL bets, picks and predictions.
Currently sitting atop the EPL table through 14 games, Chelsea, along with Liverpool and Manchester City, is starting to separate itself. All three are two points apart with Liverpool, who are in third, 7 points above fourth-place West Ham.
M N’Golo Kanté will be out for this match, but Chelsea should get star M Jorginho back at full strength after starting on the bench Wednesday. Reese James should also be available.
Chelsea is coming off a 2-1 win over Watford. West Ham has lost two and tied in one since its massive win over Liverpool. At home, despite its strong start to the season, West Ham will still be underdogs.
West Ham vs. Chelsea: Odds, picks and predictions
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 7:20 p.m. ET.
- Money line: West Ham +350 (bet $100 to win $350) | Chelsea -127 (bet $127 to win $100) | Draw +275
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Prediction
Chelsea 2, West Ham 0
Money line (ML)
BET on CHELSEA (-125). Anytime you can get a top-three team in the EPL at almost even money, I’ll take it all day.
Chelsea will have James and Jorginho back in action at full strength. Christian Pulisic should get a substitute in the game as well. Romelu Lukaku is one of the best 9s in the world as well.
Couple their talent and attacking prowess with their league-best defense, and it’s easy to see why the Blues are favored. Chelsea has given up just 6 goals on the season, scoring 33. West Ham has scored 25 and given up 17.
Chelsea is just a level above most EPL teams. The Blues are that good, and I’d back them at -125.
Over/Under (O/U)
BET on UNDER 2.5 (-110) as Chelsea is that good defensively. The Blues have given up 6 goals in 14 games. They’ve given up 3 goals in four games against teams that have scored more than 20 goals this season.
Chelsea’s defense will almost certainly not give up 2 goals in this one, and its offense hasn’t been elite recently either. The Blues have scored more than 1 goal in two of their last four games.
The Under is the better play considering the form of the stronger team.
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