Chelsea Team News: Injuries, suspensions and line-up vs West Ham

The Blues are resurgent in their hunt for a top-four finish as they face a London derby at home on Monday night.

Chelsea are in a four-way battle for two spots in the top four which would see them qualify the club for next season’s Champions League, but they have little margin for error in a hotly contested fight.

Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United make up the other teams in competition for the financial windfall and prestige associated with Europe’s elite competition.

Meanwhile, West Ham have little to play for as they sit in mid-table, but they would love to dent their local rivals’ confidence and heap more pressure on their head coach Maurizio Sarri.

Click Here: NRL Telstra Premiership

Chelsea have only one injury concern ahead of the derby, with Marcos Alonso out from the 3-0 win over Brighton due to a minor hamstring issue.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the goalscoring hero against both Brighton and Cardiff recently, continues to manage his chronic back problems which led him to withdrawing from the England squad.

Davide Zappacosta had recovered from a muscle injury to come off the bench at Stamford Bridge on Wedneday and could be involved again.

Neither Chelsea nor West Ham have any suspensions to contend with ahead of Monday’s match.

Sarri had rested Eden Hazard and N’Golo Kante for Cardiff before bringing them back against Brighton as he manages the squad with Premier League and Europa League to contend with.

Loftus-Cheek is in top form but he needs to convince Sarri that he is fit enough to start every week as he battles the likes of Mateo Kovacic and Ross Barkley for starts.

Emerson Palmieri came in for an injured Marcos Alonso, with the pair contesting the left-back spot that once undisputedly belonged to the Spain international.

Olivier Giroud’s run of six goals in five starts for club and country may be giving Sarri thoughts over whether to abandon Gonzalo Higuain and select his French marksman.

Manuel Pellegrini has many high-profile and long-term injuries to contend with as Andriy Yarmolenko suffered an Achilles injury earlier in the season and won’t kick a ball again in 2018-19.

Jack Wilshere’s ankle injury might see him out for the season too, while Andy Carroll may have kicked his last ball for the club after picking up the same injury, and his contract expires.

Winston Reid is closer to full fitness from a knee injury, but he is still battling to play again this season, while Carlos Sanchez is out for the season after injuring the same part of his body.

Marco Arnautovic came off with a knee injury in the second half of West Ham’s defeat to Everton, but the problem is thought to be minor. Him, Felipe Anderson and Ryan Fredericks are all racing to be fit in time to face Chelsea.

The match at the Stamford Bridge kicks off at 20:00 BST (17:00 ET) on Monday and it will be shown live on SkySports in the UK. In the US, the game is available on NBC Sports.