Chelsea v West Ham United
Premier League, Stamford Bridge, Sunday 24 April 2022, 2pm BST
West Ham United head to west London for the 34th match of the Premier League season when we face Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
We've reached the business end of the 2021/22 campaign and, as was the case a year ago, European qualification is the potential reward if the Hammers can finish strongly.
The Irons sit seventh in the table going into the weekend, two points behind Manchester United and three ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers. A top-seven finish would see David Moyes' men playing European football again next term, with fifth and sixth going into the UEFA Europa League and seventh into the UEFA Conference League.
Chelsea, meanwhile, look in good shape to finish in the top four and qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League - a tournament they won for the second time last year.
Both teams have midweek commitments next week, with West Ham hosting Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semi-final first leg, and Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea travelling to Manchester United in the Premier League on Thursday evening.
However, this derby will be at the forefront of everybody's minds, with the Irons seeking to complete a memorable double over their west London rivals, having scored a thrilling 3-2 win over Chelsea at London Stadium in early December.
Ticket news
Tickets for Sunday's game sold out to Season Ticket Holders and Bondholders, but there remain opportunities to watch West Ham United live this season.
Seats for our home Premier League games with Arsenal on Sunday 1 May and Manchester City on Sunday 15 May are available on the Ticket Exchange. Click here to be at London Stadium!
How to follow
Sunday's 2pm kick-off will be broadcast live in the UK by Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, and screened in various territories around the world by the Premier League's international broadcast partners.
For details of international coverage of the game, click here.
We will be covering the game live with a blog and audio commentary on whufc.com and our Official App and across our social media channels, with goals, highlights and exclusive reaction to follow after the final whistle.
Team News
West Ham United could be without centre-back Kurt Zouma, who suffered a twisted ankle sustained in the Premier League defeat at Brentford on Sunday 10 April.
Zouma's fellow defender Angelo Ogbonna is still unavailable after undergoing knee surgery before Christmas, but is working his way back to fitness at Rush Green.
A third centre-back, Issa Diop, suffered an ankle injury in the closing stages of the Premier League fixture with Burnley on Sunday 17 April.
Chelsea's sole confirmed injury absence is England left-back Ben Chilwell, who is out with a long-term knee ligament injury.
The Opposition – Chelsea
Thomas Tuchel has made a big impact since his arrival at Chelsea in January 2021, winning 54 of his 85 matches in charge and losing just 12.
In those 85 games, Tuchel's Blues have conceded just 61 goals, while scoring 150 at the attacking end of the pitch.
The likes of England internationals Mason Mount and Reece James, Brazil veteran Thiago Silva and Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovačić have been standout performers this season, but Chelsea's strength in depth means Tuchel has an embarrassment of riches available to him in his large and talented squad.
However, the Premier League title and a second consecutive UEFA Champions League title are beyond Chelsea's reach and the FA Cup represents Tuchel's one remaining chance to lift a trophy this season.
Off the pitch, uncertainty hovers over Stamford Bridge, with the UK Government freezing owner Roman Abramovich's assets and issuing the Club a special licence to continue footballing activities while restricting ticket and merchandise sales in March. The sale of the club to prospective new owners is expected to be completed in the near future.
Previous meetings
West Ham United and Chelsea meet for the 52nd time in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
The Blues have won 27 of the previous 51 games between the two London clubs, with West Ham winning 15 and nine ending in draws.
We were beaten 3-0 at Stamford Bridge last season, but we have enjoyed some memorable days there in the Premier League era, though, including a 1-0 victory achieved in November 2019.
Prior to that, we also won there in October 1994 (2-1), February 1996 (2-1), March 1999 (1-0) and September 2002 (3-2).
Our most memorable visit to Chelsea in living memory was a 4-0 victory achieved in March 1986, when Frank McAvennie, Tony Cottee (two) and Alan Devonshire got the goals as John Lyall’s side continued their march towards a record-high third-place Division One finish.
Match officials
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistant referees: Stuart Burt & Simon Bennett
Fourth official: Andre Marriner
VAR: Paul Tierney
Assistant VAR: Simon Long
Born in Ashington, Northumberland in February 1985, Michael Oliver has been a member of the Select Group of Referees since August 2010, when he was just 25.
Oliver started refereeing in the Northern Premier League from 2003 to 2005 before quickly working his way up through the National League and EFL to reach the Premier League in January 2010.
The 37-year-old refereed the 2007 Conference National and 2009 League One Play-Off finals and controlled the 2016 EFL Cup final, 2018 FA Cup final and 2021 FA Cup final, which saw Leicester City overcome Manchester City 1-0 to win the trophy.
Oliver was appointed to the FIFA List in 2012 and has since refereed competitive and friendly international, UEFA Champions League and Europa League fixtures.
He has refereed West Ham United on 33 occasions, including the penultimate game at the Boleyn Ground against Swansea City in May 2016, and most-recently the 2-1 Premier League win over Everton at London Stadium on 3 April this year.