It’s not been a great winter for snow in Northern California. Ski resorts in the Sierras struggled to open on time, or at all, with most having to make do with man-made snow (well, machine-made) before Christmas, when a massive storm finally rolled in. That dumped for a while, but since things finally calmed down early in the new year, the atmosphere’s been bone dry once again, with daytime temperatures well above freezing in the mountains as well. Snow totals are significantly below average for this time of year, and while there is skiable stuff, infrequent large storms don’t create ideal conditions. Fresh powder is the skiers drug, and I don’t mean that as a euphemism.
What’s that got to do with Chelsea’s game on Saturday? Absolutely nothing. But a small weather system moved through this week, so I’m planning on finally going skiing for the first time this season, instead of watching the game. And that usually doesn’t bode well for our chances of getting a good result. I apologize in advance, in case my presence in front of the screen has some sort of butterfly effect on the outcome of this game. (Plus, these days, there’s strong signal in the mountains, even, so every lift ride will include a few minutes of Chelsea streaming.)
Better not harsh my vibes, lads!
Date / Time: Saturday, January 31, 2026, 17.30 GMT; 12:30pm EST; 11pm IST
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Referee: Anthony Taylor (on pitch); Michael Salisbury (VAR)
Forecast: chance of rain
On TV: Sky Sports Main Event (UK); USA, Universo (USA); Star Sports Select HD1 (India); SuperSport Premier League, Canal+ Sport 3 (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: Sky Go (UK); NBC Sports Live, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA); JioHotstar (India); DStv Now (NGA)
Chelsea team news: Liam Rosenior confirmed that Cole Palmer has come through Wednesday’s game without suffering any setbacks and thus should be available to play, and even start, this game. We’ll see if that actually happens — Napoli was a big game and next Wednesday it’s the second leg of the League Cup semifinal against Arsenal, so probably some rotation will be needed.
We do have plenty of numbers in attack to switch things around. Things are a bit less comfortable in midfield and defense, with Dário Essugo, Roméo Lavia, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Levi Colwill still out. Lavia seems to be the closest to making his return of those four, strangely enough, though Tosin is getting close as well. Essugo should follow after. Colwill’s still a long ways out, though he may yet return by the end of the season as well.
“They’re all getting closer day by day, and they’re progressing well. Tosin was back out on the pitch today doing his individual rehab. Roméo is in a really good place, and we just have to make sure this last stage of his rehab is really, really good. Dário is, obviously, a little further behind.”
“[Colwill] could [be back before the end of the season] but it’s step by step and I don’t want to make promises that I can’t keep. At the moment, Levi’s in a really good place. He’s on the right track but I don’t want to put pressure on him.”
-Liam Rosenior; source: Chelsea FC
Chelsea have won four on the bounce, matching our longest winning streak of the season. But to make it five, we’re going to have to keep up not only the physical effort, but the mental fortitude as well. It would be all too easy to take it too easy … but there’s no Premier League game that’s too easy. Rosenior’s aware that this could be a trap game, so hopefully he can push the right motivational and team-selection buttons to avoid that.
“For me [this] is the biggest game of the season, it’s very simple. I’m going to find out so much. We have really good players, but if you want to be a consistent winning team, these are the games where you have to step forward and not be complacent.
“After an amazing win in Italy, to come back three days later, I want to see the consistency levels of the group. That’s why for me this is a massive mark of where we’re really at.”
-Liam Rosenior; source: Chelsea FC
West Ham United: Speaking of finding out, West Ham have been found out rather badly this season, currently sitting in the drop zone, five points from safety. Current Sweden manager Graham Potter didn’t make it beyond September, but his replacement, Nuno Espírito Santo hasn’t done much better either. He’s won just five of his 19 games in charge — and that’s given the three-match winning run they’re currently on (beating Tottenham and Sunderland, and QPR in the FA Cup).
Nuno’s been given a few reinforcements this month as well, including nearly £50m spent on forwards Pablo and Taty Castellanos, as well as the arrival of Adama Traoré who continues to defy expectations of any actual end product but continues to earn a living thanks to his ridiculous physical prowess. However, the departure of midfielder Lucas Paquetá is a massive loss. On-loan center back Igor Julio has also gone, back to Brighton & Hove Albion — he hadn’t played much, but there are rumors that the Hammers might be looking at Axel Disasi to replace him.
West Ham have no injuries of note.
Previously: Chelsea have won four in a row against West Ham, by an average margin of over three goals. The one game that was a bit close was our 2-1 win in this fixture last season. Last time we played, back in August, we ran out 5-1 winners at the London Olympic Stadium. The three goals we scored from corners that day continue to inflate our set-piece prowess narrative.
