Goodness me, it’s not very often that you see a team priced up at 18/1 to win a Premier League match. However, despite a goalless draw at Anfield a fortnight ago, bet365 and Blue Square offer this humungous price about West Ham United coming away from Stamford Bridge with a famous three points on Sunday afternoon. Are the bookmakers correct in essentially writing off the Hammers?
In a word, probably yes, as Alan Partridge might say. Anyone who witnessed them lose 2-0 to Spurs on Monday night will have seen a team short of attacking ideas, and it’s likely that they’ll set up ultra-defensively for this televised match. Ladbrokes and Boylesports currently offer a best price of 1/4 about Chelsea, paying little attention to the fact that Scolari’s team have won just three of their eight league matches at Stamford Bridge. Captain John Terry has recently admitted that the team aren’t clicking at the moment, so think twice before piling in with your hard-earned!
It might take the west London side until the second half to break down West Ham’s stubborn resistance, with the Chelsea HT FT wager (8/11 Paddy Power) one to swerve on this occasion. Bruce Betting go 4/1 about the Blues winning after the game being level at the interval, and that seems a likely scenario. Quite simply, this is a game that the home side have to win after so many dropped points at the Bridge, so it would be no surprise if they shut up shop once getting their noses in front. A 1-0 scoreline in their favour (7/1 totesport) should be close.
Didier Drogba is now back in contention after a three-match suspension, although whether 4/1 (Betfred) rates as value is another matter. The Ivorian may be passed over in favour of Nicolas Anelka (4/1 Coral), although I’d prefer to have a punt on the likes of John Terry (25/1 Coral) or Jose Bosingwa (28/1 bet365), with the latter having opened the scoring twice for Chelsea this term. One thing’s for sure, I am pretty confident that the home side will manage a confidence-boosting clean sheet, something which is priced at 8/13 (Paddy Power).