Tom Carnduff's (@TomCarnduff) opening Super Sunday cheat sheet focused on an ultimately madcap clash at the Bridge. Will east London be as entertaining as west?
Football tips: Super Sunday
1pt Jarrod Bowen to score anytime at 9/2 (General)
Suggested BuildABet @ 9/1
Jarrod Bowen 1+ shots on target
Nicolas Jackson 1+ offsides
Enzo Fernandez 1+ fouls
10+ corners
Dear reader. As I write this, I am very sad. Our team have been subjected to bids from Chelsea...AND PURCHASED BY THE BENEVOLENT GENERAL BOEHLY. ALL HAIL BOEHLY AND HIS GLORIOUS NEW REGIME! Sincerely, little girl.
There's a Simpsons quote for everything, and I've been reading the transfer gossip columns with the same look of concern that Lisa has on her face as she gets the latest update from her pen pal.
Chelsea are stocking up on talent again in an effort to challenge for Premier League glory. A total pushing £1billion in the space of a year in far contrast to West Ham, who are still looking to fully reinvest the £105m they gained from Declan Rice's departure.
They're even money to win here but I'm staying clear of anything to do with Chelsea in match markets until I've seen them for a few weeks.
Hardly helpful when they feature in back-to-back Super Sunday games, I know.
Back Bowen to bag
With the away side fancied with the bookmakers, your value comes in taking JARROD BOWEN TO SCORE ANYTIME at what appears a huge price of 9/2.
I liked this price anyway, but seeing David Moyes reveal that he's considering using Bowen as a striker only serves to benefit this selection.
"Jarrod is becoming our major goalscorer," he said after the draw with Bournemouth.
"There’s a lot of talk about needing to buy a centre-forward but I’m going to see if Jarrod could do the job.
"He’s got the instincts and the sharpness. Hull played him at centre-forward so it’s not me trying to be a genius."
Bowen's season began in fantastic fashion with a goal from six shots against the Cherries. He has the potential to continue that on Sunday.
If you're looking for a little more reliability, and aiming to build a multiple, BOWEN TO HAVE 1+ SHOTS ON TARGET is something I like the look of too.
He averaged 2.0 shots per game in the Premier League last season, and 0.68 shots on target per home game.
A potential position switch will only serve to benefit this.
Jackson caught the eye
Nicolas Jackson had a strong start to life in a Chelsea shirt despite not finding the net last time out.
He appeared lively, taking a match-high total of four shots with two of those on target - again, no player had more.
Jackson also led the match in OFFSIDES, with his two coming in the space of six second-half minutes.
It's hardly a surprise to see last week's numbers when we consider he was caught offside once every two games on average in La Liga last season.
Further fouls for Fernandez
ENZO FERNANDEZ was booked in the draw with Liverpool, and he's an appealing selection for 1+ FOULS again in this contest.
The midfielder averaged 0.6 fouls per league game following his January switch to Stamford Bridge last season.
One was deemed enough by the referee for a booking last weekend.
Count the corners
I've not had a CORNERS bet this season but this could be a game that can hit double figures.
Backing 10+ will bump the price of any multiple enough to justify its inclusion, with Bournemouth managing this themselves against West Ham last weekend.
Game state is a big factor in corner betting and this looks like a fixture that will benefit it given that it's the first home contest of the season for Moyes' men.
Recent home games against the 'big six' have seen high tallies in this area - there were 11 against Manchester United, 11 against Chelsea, nine against Liverpool and nine against Arsenal in the second half of last season.
James Ward-Prowse is at West Ham now so they may well target set-piece situations even more than previously.
Team news
David Moyes has a fully fit squad to choose from and is likely to give James Ward-Prowse his debut, allowing Lucas Paqueta to play in a more advanced position.
For Chelsea, Reece James has been ruled out for another significant period, this time with a hamstring injury.
He'll join summer addition Christopher Nkunku, who is unlikely to play again this year, and Wesley Fofana, another long-term absentee, on the sidelines.
Defender Benoit Badiashile is also likely to miss out.
Predicted line-ups
West Ham: Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Soucek, Ward-Prowse; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Antonio
Chelsea: Sanchez; Gusto, Disasi, Silva, Colwill, Chilwell; Fernandez, Caicedo; Chukwuemeka, Sterling; Jackson
Match facts
- West Ham ended last season with back-to-back home league wins, beating Manchester United and Leeds in May. The Hammers have, however, lost their first home league game of the season in four of the last five campaigns.
- Chelsea have won just five of their last 30 league matches (D11 L14) their fewest wins across a 30-game span in the league since between December 1987 and October 1988. Their only win in their last 13 games (D5 L7) was a 3-1 victory at Bournemouth in May.
- West Ham manager David Moyes has never beaten Chelsea's Mauricio Pochettino in the league in five attempts (D4 L1). The only managers he has faced more often without winning are Pep Guardiola (11), Graham Potter (7) and Mikel Arteta (7).
- Axel Disasi completed 89 passes on his Premier League debut for Chelsea on MD1 against Liverpool, the fourth-most by a player on their Premier League debut Opta has on record since 2003-04.
- In their opening game of this season, a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth, Lucas Paquetá completed the most passes (30), won the most duels (13), made the most tackles (8) and won possession more times (14) than any West Ham player.
Odds correct at 1440 BST (18/08/23)
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
