The Chelsea and West Ham fans have already started pouring into the Transfer Tavern ahead of this evening’s clash against Chelsea…
Games between the two clubs are always fiery, with the rivalry between Chelsea and West Ham undoubtedly growing in recent years.
The game is particularly significant, given that West Ham were able to knock Chelsea off their perch in the EFL Cup earlier this season – meaning that the Blues will likely want to exact revenge on their rivals.
Slaven Bilic is, seemingly, staying well away from the animosity that has been synonymous with games between the two clubs, though, with a recent article via the Evening Standard lavishing praise upon Antonio Conte’s Chelsea.
Discussing how and why Chelsea have been so successful this season, Bilic said: “The main thing you notice about Chelsea this season is that they are very fit, they work hard, they are very solid and on top of that, they have that quality up front which is basically making the difference in every game”.
He continued: “At Chelsea, though, the whole team are playing with that peak energy. The best example I can give is Hazard. He is working as hard as anyone in that team now”.
High praise indeed from the Croatian boss, with Antonio Conte’s methods clearly having an impact on the West Ham boss.
That will likely be the end of the pleasantries between the pair though, with both clubs desperate to secure a win this evening. From Chelsea’s perspective, victory will serve as a means of extending the lead between them and the clubs below them, whilst West Ham will want to solidify their impressive turnaround this season be securing another win against the Blues.
Elsewhere, Conte is reportedly sweating on the future of Eden Hazard, with the Italian revealing that the forward suffered a knock in training last week – though there is hope that it is not serious.
Conte says Eden Hazard has a 'little problem' after getting a kick in training on Wednesday, but he thinks it is nothing serious. #CFC
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 3, 2017
Chelsea and West Ham fans – thoughts?
Let us know below!
