PREM: West Ham v Chelsea preview

West Ham v Chelsea preview

West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini is hopeful Marko Arnautovic will be fit to face Chelsea on Sunday.

Arnautovic was substituted in the second half of West Ham's 3-1 victory at Everton last weekend with a knee problem, but Pellegrini is confident the Austria international will be fit for the Renault Super Sunday clash.

"Marko finished with a problem behind his knee,'" the West Ham boss told reporters at his pre-match press conference on Thursday. "We will see if he is fit for Sunday. He played well against Everton and we hope he will recover."

 

Meanwhile, Pellegrini, whose side picked up their first win of the season last weekend at Everton, insists West Ham must show confidence when they take on Chelsea.

"It's impossible to start better than Chelsea," he said. "They've won all five Premier League games.

 

"Every game is different in the Premier League. We must be confident that we can play at home or away in the same way that we tried to do in the last game. We need to concentrate in defence, because they have very good players that can make the difference in small spaces. But I am confident that our team can play a good game."

 

Chelsea's preparations for Sunday's game have been disrupted after they were forced to delay their return from Greece.

The Blues had planned to fly out straight after Thursday's 1-0 win at PAOK but adverse weather conditions in the UK saw Chelsea postpone their return flight until Friday lunchtime.

Two players unaffected by the delay were Eden Hazard and David Luiz. The pair were rested for the trip to Greece as Maurizio Sarri made five changes for the Europa League Group L win, rotating his options ahead of a busy period.

 

Javier Hernandez (flu) is a doubt, while Jack Wilshere (ankle) is sidelined after surgery. Andy Carroll, Manuel Lanzini and Winston Reid remain long-term absentees.

Pedro, who sustained a shoulder injury in Thursday night's victory at PAOK, is a major doubt for Chelsea's trip to West Ham.

Mateo Kovacic may also miss out with a minor injury.