The second gameweek of the 2025-26 Premier League season begins with Chelsea travelling to the opposite side of the capital to face West Ham at the London Stadium on Friday 22nd August at 8pm.
Jarrod Bowen Over 0.5 Shots on Target (4/5 with BoyleSports)
A huge part of West Ham’s success this season will once again depend on their talisman, Jarrod Bowen. The forward scored in five of his last six matches at the back end of last season, but it’s the shots on target market where we are following the Hammer’s captain on Friday.
West Ham put in a poor showing in their 3-0 defeat against Sunderland last weekend, with Bowen being one of their only threats in front of goal, letting off 4 shots, with one hitting the target. The 28-year-old has now recorded at least one shot on target in 13 of his last 14 appearances in the Premier League and at 4/5 he looks a cracking price for one here.
Jarrod Bowen to Score & Enzo Fernandez to be booked (10/1 with BoyleSports)
West Ham have not won at the London Stadium since February, but with Chelsea lacking a pre-season and looking a little sluggish last weekend, there is plenty of scope for the hosts to get on the scoresheet in this clash. Jarrow Bowen managed 13 league goals last season, including in his previous outing against Chelsea in January. At the current prices, he gets the nod to get on the scoresheet anytime.
Paired with Bowen to score is Enzo Fernandez to be carded. Moises Caicedo may be the obvious choice for card-backers. Still, digging a bit deeper, Fernandez was booked in a higher percentage of his away starts last year than the Ecuadorian. 75% of Fernandez’s bookings arrived away from Stamford Bridge last season, with six in 16 starts on the road. With that in mind, around 3/1 as a single provides a solid price considering there should be a nice bit of needle in this London derby.
How both teams go into West Ham vs Chelsea
Chelsea enter the match after a strong finish to the 2024/25 season, securing fourth place in the Premier League thus qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. Over the summer, they won the first FIFA Club World Cup in its revamped format, defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3–0 in the final. However, a goalless draw at home to Crystal Palace in gameweek 1 was far from the ideal start, and Enzo Maresca will be desperate to get the first win of the campaign on the board in East London.
West Ham, meanwhile, finished 14th in the league last season. They struggled to score goals, netting only 46 all season, and will be hoping for a better start this year, which will be a difficult task after losing key forwards Mohammed Kudus and Michail Antonio. Potter will also look to improve their home form, where they lost nine of their 19 league matches last season. The Hammers also enjoyed a disappointing start to the 2025-26 season as they suffered a rather worrying 3-0 defeat to Sunderland last Saturday. A scoreline that looks even worse when you consider a newly-promoted team didn’t win until October last season.
West Ham team news
The Irons are expected to be close to full strength, with only Crysencio Summerville unavailable.
Chelsea team news
Enzo Maresca will be without Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia, while Nicolas Jackson is suspended.
West Ham vs Chelsea head-to-head
Chelsea have won their past three Premier League games against West Ham. However, they haven’t beaten the Hammers away since 2017.
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 03/03/25 | Chelsea 2-1 West Ham | Premier League |
| 21/09/24 | West Ham 0-3 Chelsea | Premier League |
| 05/05/24 | Chelsea 5-0 West Ham | Premier League |
| 20/08/23 | West Ham 3-1 Chelsea | Premier League |
| 11/02/23 | West Ham 1-1 Chelsea | Premier League |