West Ham forward Marko Arnautovic has been in scintillating form of late, and he could capitalise against an under-performing Chelsea.
Chelsea will be looking to bounce back after their crushing defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last week, but their next game against West Ham United may not prove to be an easy one.
West Ham enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win over Southampton last week and will be confident going into the London derby.
And it is their star man Marko Arnautovic who could be the difference between the two sides. The Austrian forward scored the only goal in West Ham’s 1-0 victory over Chelsea earlier in the season, and the Blues should be wary of the player coming back to haunt them.
Arnautovic has been in great goal-scoring form since joining the Hammers from Stoke City, netting nine times in this Premier League campaign.
He looked deadly once again last week as he scored a brace against Southampton, proving himself to be an aerial threat and impressing with a brilliantly struck volley.
Chelsea’s defence, meanwhile, has been leaking goals in recent weeks, and the in-form West Ham man is perfectly equipped to expose it.
He is typically deployed on the left wing, which means he will most likely be coming up against Victor Moses, a player whose performances have been below par for Chelsea this season.
Yet Arnautovic also has a tendency to drift across the front three, making him an even greater threat to Chelsea’s unstable defence.
With the Blues’ hopes of a Champions League spot drastically fading, they will surely look to attack West Ham with everything they have. That may be the ideal scenario for Arnautovic, who can punish them on the break every time.
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