The opening round of the 2016-17 Premier League campaign concludes at Stamford Bridge on Monday evening as Chelsea play host to London rivals West Ham United.
United already have some competitive action under their belt courtesy of their Europa League commitments, and they come up against a Blues side still perhaps not quite set on a formation under their new boss.
Chelsea
© Getty Images
With the Jose Mourinho era now finally out of the way, it is over to Antonio Conte to bring the good times back to Stamford Bridge following what was a truly dismal campaign last time out, as the Blues put up the Premier League's worst-ever title defence in finishing 10th.
Conte arrives in West London with a proven record of success as both a player and manager, having won it all domestically during his time in the top two tiers of Italian football, while also impressing at this summer's European Championship finals.
Italy may only have made it as far as the quarter-final stage of the competition, suffering defeat to Germany in a poor penalty shootout, but Conte did more than enough tactically speaking to get Chelsea fans excited for what should be a far brighter campaign this time around.
Pre-season has been used to experiment with different formations, but using the famed five-man backline at Stamford Bridge this term appears unlikely, with a 4-1-4-1 perhaps better suited to getting the best out of Chelsea's current squad.
It is a squad that includes two new faces, as both N'Golo Kante and Michy Batshuayi have been brought in for a combined £60m to plug a couple of troublesome positions - Kante in particular instantly becoming arguably the most important player in the Blues' ranks.
The Cesc Fabregas-Nemanja Matic deep-midfield tandem that did so well in Chelsea's title-winning campaign of 2014-15 is now long gone, with Kante joining from Leicester City boasting a reputation as one of the world's finest defensive-midfield talents, often seemingly pulling off the job of two men.
Conte's first big task is to ensure that Chelsea can turn their home ground into a fortress once again, much like it was prior to last season when only Bournemouth and Aston Villa shipped more goals on their own turf, and the Italian seems to be the perfect man to do just that having gone 28 games unbeaten at home in club management.
Once that issue is fixed, the former Juventus chief - who has also lost just one of his last 30 league games in club management overall - can look to work his magic on Eden Hazard, who very much epitomised the fallen champions' campaign when seeing his 14 goals and nine assists from the year before soon become four goals and three assists last time out.
Hazard showed signs of what he is capable of at the tail end of last season, particularly when ending Tottenham Hotspur's title hopes in the Battle of the Bridge, but if Chelsea are to have any hope of restoring themselves among England's elite then their star attacking player needs to regain all of his confidence.
Pre-season form: LWWLWW
West Ham United
© Getty Images
Finishing seventh in the Premier League, and recording the side's record points total in the process, was certainly not a bad way for Slaven Bilic to lay down a marker at a club that he was already very much adored at.
Now the Croatian, fresh from an impressive punditry display on British TV this summer, is tasked with matching the domestic achievements of last season while at the same time navigating his side through a gruelling Europa League campaign.
The Hammers must first reach the competition proper, of course, having this time made it as far as the qualifying stages through their own hard work - sort of - rather than taking a backdoor entry via UEFA's Fair Play league as they did 12 months ago.
It is so far, so good on that front for United, as they followed up a stuttering first-leg defeat to Slovenian minnows MK Domzale with a much more straightforward 3-0 win in the opening game at their new Olympic Stadium home last week.
That was certainly a fitting way to begin a new era at the impressive venue, which is already home to 50,000+ season ticket holders for the coming campaign, while the 3-2 friendly defeat to Juventus in the 'official' opening last weekend also provided a few plus points.
Supporters are understandably cautious about departing the Boleyn Ground, but a move to a bigger - and, let's face it, better - venue must be embraced for a club harbouring hopes of finishing in the division's top seven on a consistent basis, rather than settling for a place in mid-table.
Bilic has used his funds wisely in the transfer market to bring in a handful of talented players, with £20m forward Andre Ayew among them, although the search for a big-name striker still goes on with a couple of weeks still left to run before the window closes.
Arguably bigger than any incoming business has been keeping hold of undisputed star player Dimitri Payet, who saw his stock rise even higher during the Euros when playing a key part in France's run to the final, where they were eventually beaten by Portugal.
Payet's absence around Christmas time last year coincided with the Hammers' three goalless draws on the bounce, only going to further prove his importance to a side that is perhaps just one consistent goalscorer away from seriously challenging for a place in the Champions League.
Andy Carroll has certainly stepped up to the plate during pre-season, finding his scoring groove to head into the season fit and firing for the first time since joining the club, while the arrival of Arthur Masuaku will plug the gap left by Aaron Cresswell's injury layoff. Now it is over to Bilic to prove that last season was not a one-off, and that West Ham are indeed capable of battling on multiple fronts.
Pre-season form (inc. Europa League qualifiers): LDDLWLWL
Team News
© AFP
Conte has made no secret of the fact that he is looking to recruit some more players before the transfer window closes for business, but for now he has to make do with those currently available to him.
That means picking John Terry in the heart of defence, despite the club captain looking certain to depart Stamford Bridge at one point this year, with Gary Cahill - still nursing a hangover from England's poor showing at Euro 2016 - the only real option to partner him.
Diego Costa tends to make a fast start to the season, having bagged five in seven for Chelsea in the month of August, and the Spaniard is likely to lead the line on Monday evening in this unorthodox 4-1-4-1 set-up.
Losing Cresswell to injury was a real blow for Bilic and his side, but Masuaku has been brought in and will make his league debut at the home of the five-time champions, while Michail Antonio is expected to get the nod on the other side despite his questionable ability in that position.
Sofiane Feghouli is another new addition who could make his senior domestic bow, having marked his first home appearance for the Hammers with a goal to round off the scoring against Domzale, with Ayew and an up-for-it Carroll completing the three-man forward line.
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Kante; Willian, Oscar, Matic, Hazard; Costa
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Adrian; Antonio, Reid, Ogbonna, Masuaku; Kouyate, Nordtveit, Noble; Feghouli, Carroll, Ayew
Head To Head
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 10 matches against West Ham at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League, and have not lost in this fixture on home soil since September 2002.
United stood strong last season, however, drawing one and winning one of the two meetings to go unbeaten in the league against their London rivals for the first time in 13 years.
The Blues have won more points than any other side on the opening weekend of a season, meanwhile, with 10 of their last 13 openers at Stamford Bridge ending with victory and the other three in stalemate.
We say: Chelsea 2-1 West Ham United
A tight game can be expected in West London to conclude this weekend's Premier League action, with both sides aiming to get off to a solid start before bringing in some more new faces in the transfer window. Chelsea finished 12 points off their opponents last season, although they will head into the game as favourites and should just about have enough to pick up an opening-round victory on home soil.
No Data Analysis info
