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2025/26 English Premier League
Matchday 2
West Ham United v Chelsea
London Stadium
London, England
Friday, 22 August 2025
Kick-off is at 20h00
Chelsea will be seeking their first win of the new season when they make the short trip across the city to face West Ham in a local derby at the London Stadium on Friday, August 22.
The Blues, who had a short off-season after going all the way in the 2025 Club World Cup, kicked off the 2025-26 campaign with a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on August 17.
Enzo Maresca's side played just two pre-season friendlies following their lengthy stay in the United States, beating Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 and AC Milan 4-1 earlier this month.
New signings Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro were involved from the start against the Eagles, while Liam Delap and Estevao made their debuts off the bench.
The Hammers made a disappointing start to proceedings after they capitulated in the second half which saw them concede three goals to lose 3-0 against
Premier League newcomers Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on August 16.
Graham Potter's side took part in the 2025 Premier League Summer Series where they finished second, having been beaten 2-1 by tournament champions Manchester United before going on to record wins against Everton (2-1) and Bournemouth (2-0).
The East Londoners also claimed a 3-1 victory over Grasshoppers in pre-season and drew 1-1 with Lille most recently.
Three of the club's six summer signings featured from the start against the Black Cats - Mads Hermansen, Jean-Clair Todibo and El Hadji Malick Diouf - with Callum Wilson making his bow as a substitute.
Potter was far from happy with the performance of his players in the second half after they dominated for large periods in the opening 45 minutes.
"The result is obviously bad for us, and the second half was really disappointing. In the first half, I thought we were good," he said.
"I thought we did lots well in terms of quieting the crowd down and creating some opportunities. We could have scored, I thought, but nevertheless, we felt OK.
"We haven't done the basics well enough - it’s as simple as that, and we have to improve that."
Maresca felt his team should have come away with all three points against Palace after bossing proceedings in West London and creating the majority of the chances.
"We always try to win the game. Unfortunately, we didn't win but overall we deserved [to]," the Italian said.
"We created enough chances in the first half and the second half. Apart from the free-kick, we didn't concede any [clear-cut] chances.
"But at the same time, we know how tough they are, how well organised they are, and that is why in the last two finals they have beaten Liverpool and Manchester City."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
West Ham wins - 1
Chelsea wins - 3
Draws - 1
Premier League Matchday 2 fixtures:
Friday, August 22
20h00: West Ham United v Chelsea
Saturday, August 23
12h30: Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur
15h00: Bournemouth v Wolverhampton Wanderers
15h00: Brentford v Aston Villa
15h00: Burnley v Sunderland
17h30: Arsenal v Leeds United
Sunday, August 24
14h00: Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest
14h00: Everton v Brighton & Hove Albion
16h30: Fulham v Manchester United
Monday, August 25
20h00: Newcastle United v Liverpool
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