The EFL Cup is back in action tonight as West Ham United welcome Chelsea to the London Stadium. It's a frantic night in the competition this evening, as two top tier derby's are scheduled to take place.
Recent form and previous round
In the previous round, Antonio Conte's team travelled to the home of the Champions. The Blues were destructive in Leicester, winning 4-2 on the night to eliminate Claudio Ranieri's team early on. Cesc Fabregas starred in the fixture, scoring two late goals.
Chelsea are also a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League. Conte's men were hailed for their illusive performance last weekend, slaying Jose Mourinho's team 4-0, as Manchester United were untied at Stamford Bridge.
West Ham too have been building some form in and around the Premier League. Last time out in the League Cup, Slaven Bilic's team were 1-0 winners as they hosted Accrington Stanley. Although the fixture looked fairly simple on paper for the Hammers, the deadlock was not broken until the dying seconds when Dimitri Payet came to the rescue - as he so often does.
To the relief of their supporters, West Ham are finally starting to find form after a poor start in the Premier League. After a celebrated previous season, the Hammers have suffered since moving, winning just one of their first seven league games.
Team news
Both teams expected to play experience in a London derby clash. Aaron Cresswell is back in contention for the home side, while Byram, Sakho, Tore and Carroll are out.
For Chelsea, there are small doubts over the availability of Fabregas and Ivanovic. Willian is back after taking a break to deal with the death of his mother.
West Ham predicted XI: Adrian, Kouyate, Reid, Ogbonna, Antonio, Noble, Obiang, Fernandes, Lanzini, Zaza, Payet.
Chelsea predicted XI: Begovic, Azpilicueta, Terry, Luiz, Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso, Willian, Batshuayi, Hazard.