Rafael Benitez has only coached Chelsea for two games and the fans are already calling for his head.
The new Chelsea boss has led his club to two scoreless draws in the EPL and Chelsea is fortunate to still be in a tie for third place on the table. However, other teams such as Tottenham and Everton are now within striking distance of the once first place team. Chelsea has now gone six straight matches without a win and has only scored five goals in that span. They have scored a total of 24 in the 14 goals which indicates just how much they have struggled in the last month and a half. Benitez has a major problem heading into Saturday's match however. Their top players played last Saturday and Wednesday and they will need to play Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League. Benitez's team is currently sitting third place in group H and needs a win desperately if they hope to return to the Round of 16 to defend their championship from last spring. However, if the start players play a third match in seven days, then they may be exhausted come Wednesday and risk their UCL tournament. However, if Benitez rests his players Saturdya in preparation for Wednesday's match, then he risks losing more ground in the EPL. Manchester United has a comfortable seven point lead on Chelsea while Man City has a six point advantage in the standings.
West Ham currently sits in 10th place in the EPL with 19 points and is coming off a three game winless streak as well. They will be aggressive at home and look to catch up to Chelsea who only leads them by seven points in the standings.
Predictions: If Benitez rests his stars, then Chelsea will lose this one on the road. With the star players in, the result is rather unpredictable and could end up a loss nonetheless as Chelsea has been bad over the last month and a half.
Start Time: 7:30 AM EST
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