West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has expressed his belief that all of the pressure is on Chelsea going into the Boxing Day meeting between the two sides.
Chelsea are currently three points clear at the top of the Premier League table, while West Ham have surpassed all expectations and sit fourth at Christmas.
The match will take place at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea have a perfect league record so far this season, and Allardyce believes that the hosts will have to be short of their best if his side are to stand any chance of getting a result.
"We go into the game as underdogs and rightly so, even though we're doing as well as we're doing at the moment. I also think that you've not got a lot to lose. You've got everything to gain and nothing to lose when you're playing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge at the moment," he told reporters.
"The pressure is on them to beat us. We're not expected to win or get a result based on the fantastic form that they're in at the moment and the fantastic results they've achieved, particularly at home, this season. That takes the pressure off our players and hopefully relaxes them to play their best. I still think that if we play our best, we still might not win.
"You've got to play a Chelsea that are slightly off their game, and if they're slightly off their game then you can perhaps take advantage, which I've managed a couple of times before, and hopefully that will be the case on Boxing Day."
Allardyce also reserved special praise for Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, labelling him the "best club manager in the world".
Barney Corkhill
