The Blues will be desperate to get their nightmare 2015/16 season out of their system as soon as possible, with ex-Juventus and Italy manager Antonio Conte hired with the intention of restoring Chelsea to their former status of regular challengers for trophies. The squad has been added to with the acquisitions of striker Michy Batshuayi from Marseille and central midfielder N'Golo Kante from Leicester City, while Everton's Romelu Lukaku and Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly continue to be linked with a move to west London before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. Conte has also managed to retain the services of key men Diego Costa, Willian and Eden Hazard despite reported interest from elsewhere, and Chelsea still possess one of the best squads in the division despite their struggles last time out.
West Ham had a much more positive campaign last term, securing Europa League football with their seventh-place finish in manager Slaven Bilic’s first year at the helm. Sofiane Feghouli, Gokhan Tore, Andre Ayew, Ashley Fletcher, Arthur Masuaku and Havard Nordtveit have all arrived at the club ahead of the upcoming season, which will see West Ham play their home matches at the London Stadium for the first time. A repeat of 2015/16 looks probable for the Hammers, although Bilic may believe his charges can surprise a few and be part of the battle for the top four and Champions League football. Indeed, West Ham are arguably the best-placed team of those outside the traditional elite of the English game to upset the usual order, although a lot will depend on whether or not they are able to keep their most important players fit and firing for the majority of the Premier League campaign.
Conte looks set to line his side up in a 4-3-3 formation for their opening clash, although he will be unable to call upon the injured Kurt Zouma, who is out until October at the earliest. West Ham, meanwhile, will have to make do without Tore, Aaron Cresswell, Diafra Sakho and Manuel Lanzini, with Dimitri Payet again likely to be central to their chances of victory.
While this game is a difficult one to call, it has the makings of being an entertaining encounter. Chelsea will be determined to get the Conte era off to a winning start, but West Ham proved last season that they can cause significant problems on the counter-attack for the Premier League's biggest teams, particularly away from home - Bilic's men picked up a total of nine points from trips to Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City in 2015/16. They could be dangerous again in that regard on Monday, although Chelsea should have enough quality to at least pick up a point. A 1-1 draw could therefore be the best option from a betting point of view, with Andy Carroll a sensible choice for anytime goalscorer.
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