Hazard doubtful for Chelsea

TEAM NEWS

Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard is doubtful after injuring his ankle during the victory at Stoke.

Oscar could be recalled to the starting line-up after only being named as an unused substitute on Monday.

West Ham midfielder Mark Noble returns to the squad after recovering from an Achilles problem.

Defender James Tomkins is the Hammers' only injury doubt after he was substituted against Leicester with a hamstring problem.

MATCH PREVIEW

In fourth place at Christmas, Sam Allardyce says his team are breaking barriers, and the timing couldn't be better - West Ham have begun the process of offering corporate packages in the Olympic Stadium where they will kick off the 2016-17 season.

Not so long ago, this would have required a leap of faith from would-be purchasers wondering if they'd be watching Championship football in their plush padded seats; now it's not such a ludicrous stretch of the imagination to dream of Champions League games being digested along with the prawn sandwiches.

No disrespect intended to the Hammers' London rivals, but I'm sure that Karren Brady and her team are finding that selling the dream of matches against Real Madrid and Barcelona is rather easier than flogging the possibility of matches with Millwall and Brentford.

Breaking barriers is one thing - beating Chelsea, especially at the Bridge, is something else completely.

West Ham did manage to get a point at Chelsea last season when, you may recall, Jose Mourinho accused them of playing 19th-century football and of parking the hackney carriage.

That was the first of 10 points earned by West Ham in a four-game run last season which took them from the relegation zone to mid-table in a fortnight. Looking back, Allardyce thinks it was the turning point for what has followed.

Chelsea's win at Stoke on Monday was the perfect riposte to Manchester City's recent surge - it was a controlled, strong and disciplined performance, typical of Chelsea under Mourinho.

They must still be considered strong title favourites and I don't see their run of 13-games unbeaten at Stamford Bridge ending any time soon.

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Posted By Blogger to SOCCER 24H on 12/26/2014 03:39:00 pm

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