West Ham United Head Coach Graham Potter has made two changes to his starting XI for Monday’s Premier League fixture at Chelsea.
Jarrod Bowen will make his first appearance for us since the end of 2024 after being selected to skipper the side against the Blues this evening. He replaces Lucas Paquetá, who is recovering from a groin problem suffered near the end of the draw at Aston Villa.
The England international missed five matches with a fractured foot injury sustained against Liverpool on 29 December.
The other change sees Andy Irving make his first Premier League start against the same opponent he debuted against in August last year. The Scotsman has made eight substitute appearances in the top-flight, in addition to one in the EFL Cup third round at Liverpool, and now gets his opportunity from the kick-off for the first time.
Irving joined the Hammers in summer 2023 from Austria Klagenfurt before spending last season on loan at the Austrian Bundesliga club, then impressing in pre-season and staking his claim to be part of West Ham’s first-team squad.
The 24-year-old Edinburgh-born playmaker – nicknamed the Portobello Pirlo – starts in place of the injured Edson Álvarez.
Neither James Ward-Prowse, who has returned from his loan spell at Nottingham Forest, nor deadline day loan signing Evan Ferguson are available for selection this evening as their moves were completed too late for them to be involved.
Elsewhere, Potter retains the same nine players who started last Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.
Alphonse Areola starts in goal, with the 31-year-old seeking an 18th Premier League clean sheet on what is his 86th appearance for the Hammers.
What looks like a back five will be unchanged from Villa Park. The defence will be anchored by centre-backs Maximilian Kilman, Vladimír Coufal and Aaron Cresswell, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson occupy the defensive flanks.
Irving plays in midfield alongside Tomáš Souček and Carlos Soler. Souček has two goals and two assists in eleven career appearances against Chelsea in Claret and Blue.
Mohammed Kudus, who has completed a top-flight high 57 dribbles so far this season, will play in a more advanced role with skipper Bowen.
Among the substitutes, meanwhile, defender Dinos Mavropanos returns from a one-match suspension and is included on the nine-man bench.
Alongside Mavropanos will be goalkeepers Łukasz Fabiański and Wes Foderingham, Academy of Football graduate trio Kaelan Casey, Ollie Scarles and Lewis Orford, midfielders Guido Rodríguez and Luis Guilherme and forward Danny Ings.
Chelsea: Jörgensen, James ©, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernández, Madueke, Palmer, Sancho, Jackson
Subs: Sánchez (GK), Gusto, George, Acheampong, Chalobah, Dewsbury-Hall, Guiu, Neto, Nkunku
West Ham United: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Coufal, Kilman, Cresswell, Emerson, Rodríguez, Souček, Soler, Kudus, Bowen ©
Subs: Fabiański (GK), Foderingham (GK), Scarles, Casey, Orford, Irving, Luis Guilherme, Ings
Referee: Stuart Attwell
