Chelsea play host to West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon looking to return to winning ways after last weekend's defeat to Manchester City.
Meanwhile, the Hammers make the short trip across London having failed to record victory in any of their last eight matches in all competitions.
Chelsea
© Reuters
While there would have been times this season when Frank Lampard would have felt encouraged by the development of his backline, the 2-2 draw in Valencia on Wednesday evening has thrown up a lot more questions than answers.
The result itself has left Chelsea requiring a win over Lille to qualify for the Champions League last 16, but there is little doubting that Lampard would have been relieved to return to London with a share of the spoils.
On another day, Chelsea would have conceded at least double the amount of goals, partly due to their lack of game management during the closing stages, something which Lampard alluded to at the full-time whistle.
Despite keeping a clean sheet against Crystal Palace before the international break, the Blues have now conceded eight goals in four outings, and Lampard must reassess the make-up of his defence heading into an important period of the campaign.
On the plus side, Chelsea are continuing to create opportunities at the other end, and Lampard will feel that there will come a time when everything clicks for his team in the final third.
Christian Pulisic has starred since earning a recall to the starting lineup, although there is now pressure on Michy Batshuayi to step up in the probable absence of Tammy Abraham, who suffered a hip injury in midweek.
Across 11 substitute appearances in the Premier League and Champions League, the Belgium international has featured for just 148 minutes, scoring goals against Southampton and Ajax respectively.
While Abraham will likely come back into the team once he is fit, Batshuayi will probably not get a better opportunity to stake his claim for a regular spot in this developing Chelsea side.
Recent form: WWWWWL
Recent form (all competitions): LWDWLD
West Ham United
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Despite having high hopes for his team ahead of his second campaign at the London Stadium, Manuel Pellegrini knows that another negative result this weekend may result in his exit from the Hammers.
A seven-match winless streak in the Premier League, which has included five defeats, has left West Ham in 17th position in the standings, just three points above the relegation zone.
For large parts of last weekend's 3-2 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur, the east London side looked short of confidence, with the visitors looking likely to score each time that they pressed forward.
While West Ham conceded three goals for the third match in succession, it could have been far worse, and Pellegrini is aware that he is on the brink of losing his job in the dugout.
Nevertheless, the Chilean still possesses plenty of quality in his squad, and there will be a feeling that a clash with Chelsea may be the ideal contest to rediscover their form.
Poor first-half performances have frequently undermined West Ham's efforts in recent weeks, with four of their last seven opponents having opened the scoring in the 17th minute or earlier.
Despite Chelsea being reknown for making fast starts, that threat may lead to West Ham being focused from the opening whistle and provide them with the correct mentality to gain a foothold in the game.
Should that not materialise, however, and Chelsea run out convincing victors, the club's hierarchy may opt to end Pellegrini's unsuccessful reign while they remain out of the bottom three.
Recent form: LLDLLL
Recent form (all competitions): LLDLLL
Team News
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With Abraham likely to be miss out with a hip injury, Batshuayi should get the nod over Olivier Giroud in attack.
Given the short turnaround, Lampard could make several alterations to his starting lineup, with Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen potentially dropping out of the backline.
Mason Mount could also come in for Mateo Kovacic, who looked heavily fatigued during the closing minutes in Valencia, while Pedro may be handed an outing ahead of Willian.
Ross Barkley may remain sidelined with an ankle problem, although Callum Hudson-Odoi could be in contention for a spot among the replacements.
As for West Ham, Pellegrini may also make a number of changes, with Michail Antonio expected to be recalled after impressing as a substitute against Spurs.
Carlos Sanchez could be provided with an opportunity in midfield, while Fabian Balbuena may return to the centre of defence.
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Arrizabalaga; James, Zouma, Tomori, Palmieri; Jorginho, Kante; Pedro, Mount, Pulisic; Batshuayi
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Roberto; Fredericks, Diop, Balbuena, Cresswell; Noble, Rice, Sanchez; Antonio, Anderson, Haller
Head To Head
Saturday's showdown will represent the 113th competitive encounter between the two clubs, with Chelsea registering 50 wins in comparison to 40 victories for West Ham.
There have been a mixed bag of results over the past four years with neither team being able to put together two wins in a row, a period which has lasted nine games.
West Ham have not prevailed at Stamford Bridge since Paolo Di Canio ran the show during a 3-2 victory in September 2002.
We say: Chelsea 2-2 West Ham United
While West Ham have endured a dismal run of form, we cannot help but think that this is the perfect fixture to get back on track. With Chelsea's backline still looking wide open, we feel that these two rivals will play out an entertaining draw at Stamford Bridge.
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