It’s finally time to reveal the season opening line-up, which we have all been waiting for. Antonio Conte told in tonight’s match program how much he thinks the Blues fans want this London Derby to be a win for Chelsea, and my dear wasn’t he exactly right about that. He said: “We know how important this London derby is for you fans. We know you want to win the first game here at Stamford Bridge. We know this and we will fight to give you this victory, but we must also keep our concentration on our objectives in this game.”
Beautiful words from the gaffer, but it’s time to unleash the starting XI! Eden Hazard starts on the left wing and Willian on the right, while Diego Costa leads the team upfront. Thibaut Courtois is no surprise to be starting on goal, and the only real change from last season’s eleven is our new signing N’Golo Kanté in midfield. Cesc Fabregas is named on the bench, as Oscar – who stole the spotlight in pre-season – starts ahead of him.
Here are the full team line-ups:
Chelsea XI: Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Kante, Willian, Matic, Oscar, Hazard, Diego Costa.
Subs: Begovic, Aina, Fabregas, Loftus-Cheek, Moses, Pedro, Batshuayi.
West Ham XI: Adrian, Antonio, Reid, Collins, Masuaka, Nordveit, Ayew, Noble, Kouyate, Valencia, Carroll.
Subs: Randolph, Byram, Oxford, Ogbonna, Obiang, Tore, Payet.
