Last season, the Blues won two and lost one of our Saturday lunchtime kick-offs, which was an improvement on two draws – including a 1-1 result in east London – in the slot during the previous campaign.

Enzo Maresca will take his side across London aiming to record a fifth consecutive away win and a second successive clean sheet following out shutout against Bournemouth last time out.

The Hammers have yet to hit the nail on the head at the London Stadium under former Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui. Currently 14th in the table, West Ham have claimed all of their points (four) away from home this term, including a late leveller across the borough at Fulham last weekend.

Timo Werner’s side-footed finish was the last Chelsea winner away at West Ham, but that came behind closed doors under Covid conditions in April 2021. Chelsea have, however, beaten West Ham more times (30) than any other Premier League side except Tottenham (35).

The west Londoners have won five of the past eight meetings with the Irons, which this season pits the division’s youngest average starting XI (Chelsea - 23 years and 194 days) with its oldest (West Ham - 28 years, 309 days).

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Victory at Bournemouth was all about two halves. In Maresca’s meritocracy, talent alone is never enough and the Italian pointed to an opening 45 minutes in which his team lacked the ‘desire to win duels’.

Substitutions and increased endeavour after the break served to sour the Cherries’ night, with the sparkling impact of Jadon Sancho – an assist on debut – and Christopher Nkunku’s inspired winner building on heroics played out in the rearguard.

Robert Sanchez’s full-stretch penalty save did most to secure a first league clean sheet on the road for almost a year, though he’ll be grateful to the impressive Levi Colwill for two great blocks, not to mention his probing counter-passes from deep.

Meanwhile, PFA Young Player of the Year Cole Palmer is discovering the attention being the star turn can bring, suffering four fouls at Bournemouth, tripling his total for the season.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Enzo Fernandez returned to training this week following illness and Maresca confirmed both are available for selection. There will be no Reece James or Malo Gusto, though, which leaves Maresca with a decision to make a right-back.

The history

Chelsea’s maiden league victory at West Ham was a memorable one. It came in the opening fixture of the 1966/67 season – a baking hot day – and the Irons' three England World Cup winners were hailed across the ground before kick-off.

Then Charlie Cooke, a tricky Scottish winger making his league debut, stole the show. He set up the Blues’ first for John Hollins and then hit a stunning winner in a 2-1 result.

More recently, success for the Blues has been harder to nail at the home of the Hammers. We are on a run of one win in seven league visits – and the hosts ended our 1-0 victory in April 2021 stripped of the red-carded Fabian Balbuena.

A 2-1 triumph in March 2017 was the west Londoners’ most accomplished performance since the Irons’ relocation to the London Stadium.

A sublime counter-attack completed by Eden Hazard broke the deadlock for the champions-elect and the unstoppable Diego Costa nestled Cesc Fabregas’s flicked-on corner over the line,.

Last term, at 1-1, Fernandez’s penalty was saved and Michail Antonio then made it 2-1. Despite Nayef Aguerd’s second yellow, the Blues could not find an equaliser and Lucas Paqueta converted a late penalty for 3-1.

However, in our most recent meeting at the Bridge in May, we produced a thumping 5-0 win which included a Nicolas Jackson brace.

Know this…

In nine of the past 15 Premier League seasons, the early kick-off slot has exceeded the average goals scored per game over the campaign as a whole.

The Blues’ all-time league win rate against West Ham at the Bridge is 55 per cent but that drops to 31 per cent at the home of the Hammers.

The two teams have met only once before on 21 September, drawing 1-1 at the Bridge in 1968.

Lopetegui's teams (Porto, Sevilla and Wolverhampton Wanderers) have scored in only two of their five previous meetings with Chelsea, both at home.

The Irons coach has used the maximum number of substitutes in every league game to date, while Maresca has averaged four per match.

No club in London has won more derbies during the Premier League era than Chelsea (182).

No Premier League team has taken the lead more times this season than Chelsea (four) and only Arsenal and Forest (four) have netted the opening goal with greater regularity than the Blues (three).

Chelsea have lost just two of our past 19 top-flight games, to Manchester City and Arsenal.

Each of Nkunku’s four league goals for the west Londoners has come on the road and off the bench.