West Ham vs Chelsea Bet Builder Tips: Kudus, Cole & Caicedo in thick of it

The London Stadium plays host to a derby between two of the capital's biggest clubs on Saturday lunchtime (12:30, TNT Sports 1) as West Ham United and Chelsea face off in the Premier League.

Ahead of this London derby, check out my West Ham vs Chelsea bet builder tips below, where I have predicted an entertaining but bruising battle between the Irons and the Blues.

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West Ham vs Chelsea Odds

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Both Teams to Score - Yes

Dating back to December 2021, this is a selection that has landed in four of the previous six meetings between West Ham and Chelsea, including the last three head-to-heads at the London Stadium, where the Irons have won 3-2 and 3-1 either side of a 1-1 draw.

Both teams scored inside the first 28 minutes in the corresponding fixture last season, with Nayef Aguerd - currently on loan at Real Sociedad - opening the scoring for the hosts in the seventh minute before Carney Chukwuemeka levelled 21 minutes later. Enzo Fernandez saw a penalty saved by Alphonse Areola just before half-time and that stop proved pivotal as Michail Antonio and Lucas Paqueta both struck in the second half to claim all three points for the Irons.

There has been at least one goal on either side in three of West Ham's opening four Premier League contests this season, while two of Chelsea's last three matches across all competitions have ended with both teams on target, and they were fortunate not to concede for a fourth game running last Saturday as Bournemouth's Evanilson fluffed his lines from 12 yards, seeing his penalty saved by Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

Each Team Over 19.5 Booking Points

These two sides have treated us to plenty of goals in recent years but there have also been several cards to accompany the strikes. Chelsea cruised to a 5-0 victory over the Irons at Stamford Bridge in May but there were more cards than goals in the first half with the visitors shown three yellows and the hosts one, bringing the booking points total to 40 (with Betfred, a yellow is worth 10 booking points and a red 25, while two cautions - bringing about a dismissal - awards 35).

Last season's clash at the London Stadium was even feistier with 30 booking points shown to Chelsea and 55 to West Ham, including 35 alone for Aguerd who was sent off following two bookable offences.

A record 65 yellow cards were shown across the 10 matches in game week four of the 2024/24 Premier League campaign, with the 14 shown between Bournemouth and Chelsea also earning the unwanted record of the most in a single game.

West Ham were shown three themselves last Saturday against Fulham as midfielders Guido Rodriguez, Edson Alvarez and Carlos Soler all went in referee Tim Robinson's notebook, while Sasa Lukic and Reiss Nelson were cautioned for the hosts.

I can see things spilling over again this weekend, though perhaps not to the same extent as at the Vitality Stadium.

Mohammed Kudus (WHU) 1+ Shots on Target

It's not been a great start to the season for West Ham's Mohammed Kudus, at least in terms of goal contributions, as he is yet to register a goal or assist after four league matches (he was credited with an assist for Jarrod Bowen's Carabao Cup winner versus Bournemouth when his shot deflected off the England international).

The 24-year-old struck eight times in the top tier of English football last season so he will be desperate to get off the mark as soon as possible this term to match or better his 2023/24 tally.

He'll have to be a lot more accurate in front of goal than he has been so far, however, as he has yet to register a shot on target from nine efforts in the Premier League.

Kudus hasn't been shy to try his luck in any game, shooting twice against Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Fulham, and three times versus Manchester City, so it feels like only a matter of time before one at least tests the goalkeeper.

I'm backing that to be this weekend against a side he faced once last season, the drubbing at Stamford Bridge, where he saw a long-distance strike saved by Dorde Petrovic.

Bournemouth managed to get seven shots on target at home to Chelsea last weekend, so the Blues aren't exactly watertight at the back yet under Enzo Maresca.

Cole Palmer (CHE) 1+ Shots on Target

Cole Palmer let me down in my Bournemouth-Chelsea bet builder as he failed to score on the south coast, and it was a very rare occasion where the 22-year-old also failed to even take a shot! I can't see that happening in back-to-back games, and his body language at the Vitality suggested to me that he hasn't lost any confidence in himself, with visible shows of frustration towards his teammates who failed to get the ball into him in dangerous situations.

The England international will be desperate to get his name back in the headlines and prove that, despite the additions of Joao Felix and Jadon Sancho, he is very much still the main man at Stamford Bridge.

Palmer registered one shot on target in his first three Premier League outings of the 2024/25 season and scored with one of his two shots on target against West Ham in May, so he looks a good bet to direct one between the sticks on Saturday.

Moises Caicedo (CHE) 2+ Fouls

The fifth and final leg of this bet builder sees me stick with Chelsea, but I'm moving further back into midfield where Moises Caicedo is sure to be in the thick of the action at the London Stadium.

Caicedo committed two fouls in May's meeting at Stamford Bridge, the same number he made as a second-half substitute in east London less than nine months earlier.

The Ecuador international is averaging 1.2 fouls per game in the Premier League this term, down slightly from the 1.4 he was averaging last season, but I'm expecting the intensity of a derby to spike his numbers this weekend.

Plus, the 22-year-old will be tasked with containing the mercurial talents of Kudus, who has been fouled an average of 2.2 times per game in the league (2.3 in 2023/24).

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down.

Place an In-Play single bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2+ on any Premier League or Championship game on Friday or Saturday and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on Sunday’s Premier League or Championship games.

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