BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson is expecting Chelsea to record a comfortable victory when they face West Ham in the lunchtime kickoff at the London Stadium 

The Hammers’ form has fallen off the cliff in recent weeks and, while Chelsea performed pretty poorly themselves in the victory over Watford midweek, Lawrenson believes the Blues will put in a better display to come away with a win this afternoon:

“It looks like the international break has halted West Ham’s momentum because they have not won any of their three Premier League games since – and I don’t see them ending that run here. Chelsea were fortunate to win at Watford on Wednesday, and their manager Thomas Tuchel admitted it afterwards. I am expecting a reaction from them on Saturday – and a much-improved performance – because they rarely play poorly two games in a row.”

Lawrenson has backed Chelsea to win 2-0, which seems like a pretty fair prediction, although you wouldn’t bet against the home side getting a goal themselves, considering their threat from set-pieces.

However, with Thiago Silva back in the starting lineup, you would hope that the Blues will be slightly less open than they were at Vicarage Road and, with Romelu Lukaku now fit, it would be good to see the Belgian start and get back on the scoresheet.

London derbies are never easy, especially when facing a well-drilled team like West Ham but, if Chelsea are to be title contenders, these are the types of games they need to win.