Dan King reporting from the London Stadium
The stadium announcer is trying to whip up some atmosphere but there’s zero here. Zilch. Nada.
Welcome to Chelsea, Jamie Gittens – benched after being hooked 54 minutes into the draw against Crystal Palace.
The summer has given Enzo Maresca different options, not more. So the best guess is that Joao Pedro will start on the left, with Liam Delap up top.
Reece James also drops to the bench, with Malo Gusto replacing him at right back.
As foreseen, Tosin is back to partner Trevoh Chalobah at centre back. Let’s see if he really is the closest thing to Levi Colwill that Chelsea have.
We’re only half an hour from kick off but the stadium is not a tenth full. And a notable lack of enthusiasm when the home crowd were invited to show appreciation for free transfer Callum Wilson.
In the pot
West Ham boss and former Chelsea manager Graham Potter is wary of the Blues’ threat.
Potter said: “That’s the challenge for us: to get on the front foot, be aggressive, be positive – but not to do too much too soon, or be too open because with the quality have they can play through and pretty quickly it can be an uncomfortable evening. We have to get the balance right.
“It’s a good game for us. We’re excited to play. We need to get the crowd on our side, involved in the game and make it a London derby. Show ourselves, show our quality.”
Fanatic
The fans are starting to pile into the stadium ahead of this huge London derby
Nic of time
ASTON VILLA are set to miss out on Nicolas Jackson despite strong interest in the striker over the last 48 hours, SunSport’s Rahman Osman can exclusively reveal.
Jackson is a man in demand but Chelsea’s £70million valuation of the striker has proved a huge hurdle for Villa, who are struggling this year under ongoing Financial Fair Play regulations.