Venue: Stamford Bridge
Kickoff: 4 p.m. GMT, noon ET, 9 a.m. PT
Three days after putting Steaua Bucharest to the sword in the Europa League, Chelsea are at it again on Sunday as they take on West Ham United at Stamford Bridge.
While the action continues to come thick and fast for the Blues due to their continued progress in the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League, West Ham have not played since the opening weekend of March.
The Hammers will certainly be the fresher of the teams, but will that count for much?
Whisper it quietly, but there appears a growing confidence at Stamford Bridge of late that the midweek victory and an impressive comeback against Manchester United in the FA Cup has helped fuel.
Indeed, the team's performance against Steaua said that much with the "Three Amigos"—Juan Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard—in fine form alongside Fernando Torres. It wasn't a perfect display by any stretch, but the signs were there of a team beginning to rediscover form at a vital stage of the campaign.
Facing West Ham brings with it a number of subplots. Will Demba Ba start against his former club in place of Torres? Is John Terry going to retain his position at the heart of defence? Can the Hammers pull off their first league double over Chelsea since 2003?
Some sceptics from a West Ham perspective will hope that final point is not the case as they were relegated soon after completing such a feat a decade ago.
Glenn Roeder was manager then, and a Paolo Di Canio brace gave them a 3-2 victory at Stamford Bridge, while it was the Italian who scored the only goal in the return at Upton Park.
Since 2003, though, three points against Chelsea have come at a premium for West Ham. The Blues have been the dominant force, winning 11 of their 14 encounters, with December's 3-1 loss their first in that sequence.
The fight for a top-four place aside, Rafa Benitez's team will feel they have a point to prove on Sunday. At Upton Park this term, the Blues were by far the more impressive, squandering a number of opportunities before the home team eventually scored twice late on to win the game.
With the international break coming on the back on this game, three points will also leave them well positioned in the table when league football resumes on March 30 with a trip to Southampton.
West Ham's Joe Cole is expected to miss out on a return to Stamford Bridge on account of a hamstring injury, but while he is forced to sit on the sidelines and forgo the opportunity of a fairytale day, it could be very different for Frank Lampard.
Chelsea signed Lampard from West Ham for £11 million in 2001 and how fitting would it be that the former Hammer should score his 200th goal in Chelsea colors against his boyhood club? You wouldn't bet against it.
Prediction: 4-1
Predicted line-ups:
Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, David Luiz, Cahill, Cole; Lampard, Mikel; Moses, Mata, Hazard; Ba
West Ham: Jaaskelainen; Demel, Collins, Reid, O'Brien; O'Neil; Vaz Te, Diame, Collison, Jarvis; Carroll
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