Friday night football returns with a cracker of a London derby as West Ham hosts Chelsea under the lights at the London Stadium. It’s an early-season clash that’s already intriguing as both clubs look to bounce back from disappointing opening day results.
West Ham were humbled away to newly promoted Sunderland. A 3-0 loss was not the start Graham Potter and his team were looking for, and as a result, the manager has now shortened to become the favourite for the next Premier League manager to be sacked.
Things didn’t go an awful lot better for Chelsea as they drew at home 0-0 with Crystal Palace. The team looked a little lethargic, and even though they dominated possession and created a 1.6 xG, they lacked ideas in the final third. In the end, they only managed to salvage a point as Eberechi Eze’s free kick was disallowed after VAR spotted an infringement in the wall.
On paper, it’s a game that Chelsea are favourites to win, but their record at the London Stadium has been less than impressive, with just three wins in their last ten visits (two draws, five defeats). They did, however, thump the Hammers 3-0 in their last visit across town and have now won the last three head-to-heads, producing a much brighter short-term outlook.
Even though it’s just the second game of the season, both teams will be desperate to get three points on the board, and our West Ham vs Chelsea bet builder is going to show you where the value is on Friday night.
West Ham vs Chelsea Bet Builder Tips – £10 Returns £120
We’ve compared our four picks across a handful of the best betting sites and found bet365 to have the strongest odds. Just a £10 bet returns a massive £120 on this West Ham vs Chelsea bet builder.
| Market | Pick |
|---|---|
| Full Time Result | Chelsea to win |
| Player to Score or Assist | Cole Palmer – Chelsea |
| Player to Score or Assist | Jarrod Bowen – West Ham |
| Total Corners | Over 9 |
*Odds correct as of 11:00 BST 21/08/2025. Odds subject to change.
No Expiry Date
Full Time Result – Chelsea
It’s fair to say that West Ham flattered to deceive in their opener at the Stadium of Light. It was a team that looked devoid of ideas going forward and as leaky as a rusting watering can at the back.
Fans are starting to turn on manager Graham Potter as well. The style of football last season was pragmatic at best, and granted, he steadied the ship, driving them clear of the relegation zone, but the lack of any flair or excitement is starting to grind.
Chelsea rounded off a solid 2024/25 Premier League campaign, securing qualification for the Champions League and winning the Conference League and Club World Cup. Last weekend’s draw against Palace could have been a bit of a hangover on the back of a long season, but Maresca will have to get the Blues moving, and quickly, if they want to progress this term.
Their away form last season was good, winning eight, drawing four and losing seven, while West Ham struggled at home, with just five wins from their 19 games.
The head-to-heads also suggest a Chelsea win, and are now 10-1 in aggregate over the last three meetings between the two teams.
We’re backing a Chelsea win as the first leg of the bet builder, as odds of 4/6 are too strong to pass up, everything considered.
Cole Palmer to Score or Assist
Palmer scored 15 goals and bagged eight assists in 2024/25, with a 17.2 expected goals (xG) and 10.4 xAG showing that the numbers could have been even higher than they were.
A metric that stood out was the 200 shot-creating actions, which shows that he’s not only finding chances for himself, but also his teammates. When this occurs, football betting markets like to score or assist become highly lucrative.
He’s solidified himself as the main penalty taker (another key metric for the market) and had a couple of half-chances to get on the scoresheet in last week's stalemate with Crystal Palace.
Regardless of Chelsea’s revolving door of players, Palmer is one of the few constants. He will play a role on Friday between the midfield and forward line, and if Max Kilman and Nayef Aguerd defend like they did at times against Sunderland, he will cause serious problems.
Jarrod Bowen to Score or Assist
Jarrod Bowen to score or assist is the wildcard in our Friday night football tips. He’s West Ham’s main man and had 23 goal involvements last season. For a team that sometimes struggles to create, this is an impressive return.
He was one of the leaders for touches in the opposition's box (171) as well, which underlines his desire to get forward into those attacking areas, cutting in from the right and getting on that devastating left foot.
The reason why we like Bowen for this match is explicitly more about how Chelsea plays than how West Ham will set up.
Maresca likes to press when going forward, causing overloads, and they invite the transition from their opponents; a tactic not commonly seen in the modern-day Premier League. Bowen’s direct ball-carrying will suit this system, and he turns low team xG game stats into single chance outputs. In fact, 21 of his goals and assists last season came in games where West Ham had a negative xGD.
This fits perfectly into our reasoning that Chelsea will win, and possibly comfortably, but Bowen specifically will suit their style and create chances for himself and the team.
Over 9 Total Corners
This is purely a numbers game from our Premier League stats and looks good value as the final part of the West Ham vs Chelsea bet builder.
Last season, Chelsea averaged 6.16 corners per game and West Ham averaged 4.0, giving us a combined baseline of 10.16.
We can also take something from the two opening games, where Chelsea produced 13 corners against Palace and West Ham produced 12 against Sunderland.
This market generally leads well to home teams who are under the cosh or who go behind, which could be a very plausible storyline at the London Stadium, especially given that the pitch is one of the biggest in the league.
Over nine total corners comes in as the final part of Friday night football's betting tips.
