Chelsea can take another significant step towards the Premier League title if they beat West Ham in Monday night's London showdown.
Antonio
Conte's in-form side will start as strong favourites at the London
Stadium as they bid to move 10 points clear of closest challengers
Tottenham.
The chasing pack will be hoping and praying that West Ham can repeat their 2-1 win over a weakened Chelsea side in the fourth round of the EFL Cup back in October.
But how can the Hammers derail Chelsea's push for the title on Monday night? We take a look at West Ham's potential blueprint.
West Ham emerged victorious the last time they played Chelsea, in the EFL Cup in October
Cheikhou Kouyate scored West Ham's first goal that night at the London Stadium
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic will need a masterplan to beat the league leaders
Chelsea are hoping to open up a 10-point gap to second-placed Tottenham with a win
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STOP THE ADVANCE OF THE WING-BACKS
The
few teams who have taken points off Chelsea this season have shrewdly
identified how fundamental Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso, the
wing-backs, are to their attack.
The
pair bomb up and down their respective flanks, covering the three
central defenders one minute and delivering a cross for the front three
the next.
Key to getting anything
against Chelsea is to pin Moses and Alonso as far back as possible to
starve them of space and possession, thereby reducing the huge influence
they can have.
Victor Moses has enjoyed an outstanding season playing as a wing-back for Chelsea
Tottenham
did this very effectively when they beat Chelsea 2-0 at White Hart Lane
back in January, still the only time Conte's men have been beaten in
the league since their switch to 3-4-3.
So
that means a busy night is in prospect for Aaron Cresswell, up against
Moses on the Chelsea right, and Cheikhou Kouyate, facing Alonso on the
Chelsea left.
The West Ham duo will certainly have to put in a shift, but it's absolutely essential to getting anything out of this game.
Marcos Alonso has also been impressive on the opposite flank for Chelsea this season
TARGET AZPILICUETA IN THE AIR
Gary
Cahill is 6ft 4in. David Luiz stands 6ft 2in tall. Cesar Azpilicueta
measures 5ft 10in. So which of Chelsea's three centre-backs do you
target in the air? It's a no brainer.
As
Burnley showed in their recent 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Turf Moor, you
need to get your target man to play on Azpilicueta whenever a long ball
is delivered.
The Spaniard lacks the
authority in the air that Cahill and Luiz have, so expect West Ham to go
after him as the Lancashire side did.
Their
cause will be helped greatly if Andy Carroll is match fit and the 6ft
4in striker could potentially profit time after time against
Azpilicueta.
While West Ham are by no
means a long ball, lump-it side any more, there are certain opponents
still unsettled by Carroll's formidable physical presence and Chelsea
could be one of them.
Cesar Azpilicueta (left) may be targeted with long balls because he isn't as tall as Gary Cahill
Andy Carroll, if fit enough to feature, will be told to play on Azpilicueta in the Chelsea defence
TIRELESS MIDFIELD WORK
Nobody
runs as far as N'Golo Kante, Chelsea's marathon man in the heart of
midfield. But Pedro Obiang and Mark Noble will have to match him
(almost) mile-for-mile if they're going to get anything here.
Given
that Kante also leads the way in terms of interceptions and recovery
tackles in the Premier League, a great amount of streetwise midfield
play is going to be needed.
For
example, don't play that 20 or 30 yard ground pass forward into an area
where Kante can intercept with a stride or two. Look for the sensible
option sideways or go long.
Realise
that Kante - and Nemanja Matic, whom it's unfair to ignore - will be
like your shadow, always looking to regain possession, so don't show any
hesitation when on the ball. Keep things moving.
Kante is a tireless presence in the midfield for Chelsea - but West Ham have to match him
Mark Noble will need to produce a midfield performance full of energy if West Ham are to win
MILITARY ORGANISATION WHEN OUT OF POSSESSION
Inevitably, Chelsea are going to enjoy a lot of possession, so strict discipline and organisation will be essential.
The
four in the West Ham defence need to keep their shape and not be
dragged out of position by the myriad runs the Chelsea forwards will
make.
Noble and Obiang need to immediately drop back to shield the defence when the ball is lost, however far up the pitch they are.
The
three behind the striker, Manuel Lanzini, Robert Snodgrass and Sofiane
Feghouli, need to be the first line of defence as well, pressing
relentlessly when Chelsea try to play out from the back.
Burnley gave a textbook demonstration of how to keep Chelsea at bay in their game last month
The
textbook example of how to handle Chelsea was provided by Burnley, who
learned lessons from Pedro's early goal to return to Plan A and
restricted them to just one shot on target in 83 minutes thereafter.
If
Slaven Bilic is sensible, he'll have studied the tape of that 1-1 draw
last month and will look to borrow a thing or two from Sean Dyche and
his team.
MAKE IT AS UNCOMFORTABLE AS POSSIBLE
Five
teams have come away from the London Stadium with three points in the
Premier League this season, and Manchester City thrashed West Ham there
in the FA Cup.
It hasn't yet become the stadium teams hate to visit in the same way Upton Park was, but it can be the Hammers' fortress.
West Ham fans need to make the London Stadium as unsettling for visitors as Upton Park
An
ear-splitting and passionate atmosphere is needed to unsettle Chelsea
here, without obviously crossing the line into violence as during the
EFL Cup tie.
It is the job of the home
fans to make it as uncomfortable for the Chelsea players as possible and
that energy will soon transmit to the players.
For
their part, a few robust early challenges should show the league
leaders that this won't be a walk in the park. Again, without crossing
the line.
HOPE CHELSEA FEEL THE TITLE RACE PRESSURE
It can be a nerve-racking experience waiting until the Monday night to fulfil your fixture.
Chelsea
saw closest-challengers Tottenham and Manchester City win on Sunday,
narrowing the gap a little and adding pressure ahead of Monday's
fixture.
The Blues remain odds-on
favourites to win what would be their fifth Premier League title, but
with 12 matches left there could be many twists and turns yet.
Any
trace of nerves will be seized upon by West Ham and if the gap to
Tottenham were to remain at seven points, it would offer fresh hope to
the chasing pack.
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