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12.20 John Terry delivers Christmas handshake snub... not really in the festive spirit that, JT!
12.15 League leaders Chelsea make one change for the Boxing Day visit of fourth-placed West Ham, with Oscar included from the start.
The Brazilian playmaker replaces John Obi Mikel following Monday's 2-0 win at Stoke, giving the Blues more guile against a Hammers side criticised for playing "football from the 19th century" by Jose Mourinho last season on their visit to Stamford Bridge.
West Ham, who joked on Twitter they had arrived by horse and cart, make three changes following the 2-0 defeat of Leicester with James Collins, Mark Noble and Enner Valencia starting.
PIC: The West Ham United team coach (and horse) has arrived at @chelseafc for today's game #19thcenturyfootball pic.twitter.com/qC9FbEvsQX
— West Ham United FC (@whufc_official) December 26, 2014 12.00 The teams are in...
Chelsea: Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Fabregas, Matic, Willian, Oscar, Hazard, Costa.
Subs: Cech, Luis, Zouma, Ramires, Drogba, Mikel, Schurrle.
West Ham: Adrian, Jenkinson, Collins, Reid, Cresswell, Nolan, Noble, Kouyate, Downing, Carroll, Valencia.
Subs: Jarvis, Sakho, O'Brien, Amalfitano, Jaaskelainen, Cole, Song.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
09.00 Life has turned full circle for seasoned West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce since he last took his team to Chelsea.
At the end of January the Hammers were mired in the relegation zone, the fans were calling for Allardyce to be sacked and he was the bookmakers' favourite for the chop.
They arrived at Stamford Bridge with 18 points from 22 games and even after a worthy 0-0 draw Chelsea Jose Mourinho accused Allardyce of playing "19th century" brand of football.
Despite Mourinho's stinging rebuke, it was a result that helped West Ham turn the corner and nearly a year on they are sitting pretty in fourth spot with 31 points from 17 matches and talk of a Champions League spot is not being dismissed.
No wonder former Bolton boss Allardyce cannot keep the smile off his face as he prepares for the Boxing Day trip across London to take on Mourinho's table-toppers.
"It was memorable for how well we played!" Allardyce, who would welcome more criticism from the Portuguese on Friday, recalled of January's goalless draw.
"I think it was a compliment by the fact a frustrated manager vented his frustration about the fact that he couldn't break down the team he was playing against.
"Chelsea can beat you five or six-nil on their ground and I think, on the back of our results before we went there it would have made life for the owners even more difficult to get behind me -- but that's not water under the bridge, it's water in the sea, water in the Atlantic Ocean it is that far gone."
The mood is completely different this time with a Hammers team bolstered by signings such as strikers Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia and former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song.
Rather than just go and shut up shop, Allardyce will send his team to Stamford Bridge to attack.
"This one is totally different. We're fourth in the league this time and we've got better, younger players and hopefully we will go and give a good account of ourselves - and a good account of ourselves is getting a result, not playing well and a loss," he said.
Allardyce says Mourinho is the "best working club manager in the world at the moment" and his Chelsea counterpart, who has never lost a home London derby, has been impressed with West Ham's progress this season.
"I have seen them in a couple of games this season and they're very strong. We expect a hard game, but we go into it with confidence, which is very important," Mourinho said.
Team News
Eden Hazard could be a doubt for Chelsea's Boxing Day clash with West Ham at Stamford Bridge. The playmaker limped off late on in Monday's 2-0 victory over Stoke after a tackle from Jonathan Walters.
Oscar will hope for a recall after being left on the bench at the Britannia Stadium.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce will welcome midfielder Mark Noble back into his squad for their Boxing Day derby at Chelsea.
Noble has missed the last four games with an Achilles problem but has handed Allardyce a boost by returning to training in advance of the festive fixtures.
James Tomkins (hamstring) is the only absentee for the Hammers - with James Collins ready to step in alongside Winston Reid in the heart of their defence.
Chelsea's provisional squad: Courtois, Cech, Schwarzer, Ivanovic, Luis, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Zouma, Terry, Fabregas, Mikel, Matic, Hazard, Ramires, Matic, Schurrle, Oscar, Salah, Willian, Drogba, Remy, Costa.
West Ham's provisional squad: Adrian, Jaaskelainen, Cresswell, O'Brien, Reid, Tomkins, Collins, Jenkinson, Noble, Kouyate, Song, Nolan, Amalfitano, Downing, Jarvis, Vaz Te, Cole, Zarate, Sakho, Carroll, Valencia.
Referee: Michael Oliver: 13, Y54 R2.
Betting: Home 1-3, Away 4-1, Draw 8-1.
Stat of the game: Sam Allardyce has managed just two wins in 21 Premier League games Chelsea.
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