Chelsea v West Ham Betting Tips

Are we really witnessing what we're witnessing; is it real or a mirage? Is Chelsea's grip on the Premiership loosening? It's hard to say. But one things for sure and that's that their recent form has been a mere shadow of what we've come to expect of Jose Mourinho's charges. Indeed, a lead which at one point stood at about fifteen points, has been chipped away at by a determined and revitalised Manchester United, who have turned a yawning deficit into just seven points - they have the Blues within their sights, and the leaders and reigning champions simply cannot afford to slip up again when West Ham come calling on Sunday lunch time. The Hammers were dealt a 3-1 beating by their illustrious fellow Londoners in their own back yard in January and, with Chelsea still unbeaten at Stamford Bridge, it would be fanciful to envisage Alan Pardew's men heading east with three points after this match, despite Chelsea's recent slip-ups. That said, it wouldn't be the biggest surprise if West Ham nicked a draw, since their away form has improved markedly as the season has progressed and, apart from a heavy defeat at the hands of Bolton last month, they have lost only once in their other seven away matches in all competitions, which was against Man Utd - and they lost no caste in that match, going down by just a goal to nil. Chelsea have only been held to a draw once at home - they have won fifteen of their sixteen home matches, a home record not bettered by any other Premiership side - so it takes a leap of faith to think that they can be held to a draw in this fixture, but I'm going to put my faith in the Hammers to achieve mission impossible. The outright draw at a top-priced 9/2 is tempting, but I'm going to be greedy and suggest punters do the same and snap up the 15/2 Bet 365 are offering about draw/draw in the double result market. Interestingly, nine of Chelsea's sixteen home matches in the league this season have been level at the interval, so in theory, if this game pans out in a similar fashion, West Ham just need to grit their teeth and hold on for dear life in the second half. Admittedly, the Blues did end up winning eight of those nine games, so the stats aren't completely behind the recommended bet, but they back up half of the bet and, at the odds on offer, it's well worth taking a chance that West Ham will alter the statistical destiny of the second half and land us a nice touch!