Chelsea will hope to continue a strong start to life under Liam Rosenior as they host West Ham United in the Premier League.
Rosenior has won his first two league games in charge after succeeding Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge, and safely steered his side to a valuable victory at Napoli in midweek to secure a top-eight Champions League finish. The manager has a decision to make, though, on Cole Palmer after an impactful showing off the bench in Naples — now recovered from a thigh issue, Rosenior has confirmed he is available to start.
West Ham are also in a relatively buoyant mood despite the fact they still occupy a place in the relegation zone. Wins over Tottenham and Sunderland have restored some hope that Nuno Espirito Santo and his squad can fight their way out of a situation that appeared bleak, and a surprise success here today could really get them going.
Follow all of the latest from the Premier League clash with our live blog below:
Cole Palmer hailed as ‘magnificent’ after Chelsea bounce back to reach last 16
Palmer came off the bench at half-time and set up Joao Pedro for a brace which turned the match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on its head and gave the Blues a 3-2 victory to bypass February’s play-off round.
It came after reports that the England forward is unsettled in west London and favours a return to Manchester, but this was a timely return to form to help rally the team from 2-1 down in Naples.
Could Cole Palmer be back in the starting Chelsea side?
It was a good night for Chelsea at Napoli in midweek, securing a top eight finish in the league phase of the Champions League with a comeback win. Cole Palmer was influential off the bench, and the indications are that he may be in line for a start today.
Chelsea vs West Ham live
A London derby is our Saturday evening fare in the Premier League, with West Ham making the short(ish) trip across the capital to take on a Chelsea side going well under Liam Rosenior. Back-to-back wins have got the hosts’ campaign going again after stumbling in the final weeks of Enzo Maresca’s tenure, but they take on an Irons side with renewed hope of survival after their own recent successes.
Kick off at Stamford Bridge is at 5.30pm GMT.
