Raheem Sterling and Wesley Fofana have both dropped team news hints ahead of Chelsea's clash with West Ham this afternoon. The duo have posted pre-match graphic previews of the London derby to their respective Instagram stories.
Thomas Tuchel will be hoping that Sterling can continue his rich vein of form versus the Hammers, having directly contributed towards fours goals in his previous four appearances. And, after suffering defeat to Southampton in the week, Fofana could play a huge role in steadying the ship as the Blues look to return to winning ways.
The west Londoners currently sit tenth in the Premier League and have won just two of their opening five fixtures, which is a sizeable setback in the race for top-four. Chelsea already find themselves a few points behind Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and even Manchester United in the race for top-four, teeing the London derby up to be a feisty affair.
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And, ahead of what is poised to be blockbuster bout, Tuchel previewed the tie. Speaking to football.london, the Blues boss said: "West Ham look very strong. They are what they are – they're very physical, I have a feeling they're a strong group with a good team spirit, they have a strong manager.
"They know what they are," Tuchel added. "They have periods where they can create huge moments within minutes and they have periods where they dig in and defend deep with a lot of discipline.
"They're always ready to hurt you on counter-attacks with speed and physicality. Then come a lot of crosses, with [Tomas] Soucek arriving in the box for headers and of course set-pieces, where they are strong and physical. This is what they are.
"They struggled a little bit in getting results and maybe growing into the season. They also made some late signings which injected a lot of quality and personality into the group, so it will be a tough derby."
While Sterling and Fofana posting graphic previews of the London derby on their social media profiles does not necessarily mean both will start, it usually means they will be involved in some capacity. Follow live coverage of the game in our blog here.
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