The third of four consecutive home games brings a return to league action and a chance to go back on top. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton are looking up.

TALKING POINTS
Poor Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke must have that sinking feeling watching a sequence of three wins in 14 league matches, alongside seven defeats. Even porn barons might avert their gaze from x-rated stuff like that. The under-pressure Italian, one of Chelsea's all-time great footballers, cut a forlorn figure in the press conference after the 1-2 home defeat to 10-man Bolton last weekend.

There is always a time in a manager's career at a club when they feel they have run out of solutions. Zola's response on Saturday was resoluteness: We have dropped three points we should not have, so let's gain an unlikely victory to make up.

He was referring to the Hammers' consecutive London derbies away to the second- and third-placed teams in the Premier League, Chelsea and Arsenal. And much as he adores the Blues, he has a very ruthless side to him and is fighting for his Premier League survival. Still, Franco, please save your redemption for the Emirates.

Chelsea's players still have making up to do themselves in the league as a result of the diabolical defeat here to Man City a fortnight ago. The fact remains that if Carlo Ancelotti's team wins all league games until the end of the season, the title will return to Stamford Bridge - a fact Didier Drogba used as a rallying call this week.

Chelsea could do with the Ivorian himself returning to goalscoring form. He has not hit the net in three matches - his longest barren spell all season!

Chelsea will have a game in hand over Manchester United and Arsenal until the Bolton home match on 13 April, and the game following that is another London derby - away at Spurs. The pressure never lets up in from now on in.

Supporters might like to think forward to the pomp and circumstance of the Internazionale match next Tuesday, but none of the playing staff can afford to give anything less than 100% in what will be a fiercely contested game, no matter the different current ambitions.

Our unofficial rankings of winter league performance - 'Ballon Jaune' if you prefer - was topped by Arsenal, but only because they played one game more than most teams 1 November to 1 March. Otherwise the Gunners would be third. The table also illustrates by how much Manchester Utd improved their goal difference. It was a good period for Portsmouth, too, although somewhat overridden by events off the pitch. Sunderland will be glad to have seen the last of the yellow ball.

With two remaining to play, Chelsea have fared very well in London derbies, dropping points only in the reverse fixture to this, and scoring more than twice the tally of second-placed Spurs. West Ham have won none this season. Arsenal have three same-city clashes still to come, and have dropped points in 60% of games played.

Chelsea's upcoming league fixtures (3 home, 3 away)
Sat - West Ham (h)
Sun Mar 21 - Blackburn (a)
Wed Mar 24 - Portsmouth (a)
Sat Mar 27 - Aston Villa (h)
Sat Apr 3 - Man Utd (a)
Tue Apr 13 - Bolton (h)

Manchester Utd's upcoming league fixtures (3 home, 3 away)
Sun - Fulham (h)
Sun Mar 21 - Liverpool (h)
Sat Mar 27 - Bolton (a)
Sat Apr 3 - Chelsea (h)
Sun Apr 11 - Blackburn (a)
Sat Apr 17 - Man City (a)

Arsenal's upcoming league fixtures (2 home, 4 away)
Sat - Hull (a)
Sat Mar 20 - West Ham (h)
Sat Mar 27 - Birmingham (a)
Sat Apr 3 - Wolverhampton (h)
Sat Apr 10 - Tottenham (a)
Sun Apr 18 - Wigan (a)

The race for the Premier League Golden Boot
Rooney (Man Utd) 23
Drogba (Chelsea) 19
Bent (Sunderland) 18
Defoe (Tottenham) 16
Tevez (Man City) 15
Fabregas (Arsenal) 14
Saha (Everton) 13
Torres (Liverpool) 13
Lampard (Chelsea) 12

Arsenal face a trip to the north-east against a side with whom they have had several fracas. Back in December, however, the Gunners won a bad tempered affair 3-0.

On Sunday United host Fulham, who have not won at Old Trafford since April 1963, but beat the Red Devils 3-0 at home this season.

Barclays Premier League fixtures
Saturday
Tottenham v Blackburn 12.45pm - Sky Sports
Birmingham v Everton 3pm
Bolton v Wigan 3pm
Burnley v Wolverhampton 3pm
Chelsea v West Ham 3pm
Stoke v Aston Villa 3pm
Hull v Arsenal 5.30pm - ESPN
Sunday
Manchester Utd v Fulham 1.30pm - Sky Sports
Sunderland v Manchester City 4pm - Sky Sports
Monday
Liverpool v Portsmouth 8pm - ESPN

Joe Cole and Frank Lampard, and for West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola, first team coach Steve Clarke, Carlton Cole, Scott Parker, face their old club on Saturday.

Click on tabs above for more briefing.

See Carlo Ancelotti's pre-match press conference via a live video stream direct from Cobham to your computer. Starts approximately 1.30pm Friday.

TACTICAL BRIEF
Although Yury Zhirkov may be available to occupy the left-back slot and Deco is fit again, the casualty list at Stamford Bridge still features key players and Carlo Ancelotti cannot afford to rest many regulars ahead of Inter's visit on Tuesday. Michael Ballack and Juliano Belletti are available again after suspension.

While Chelsea efficiently removed Stoke from the FA Cup last weekend, West Ham were feeble at home to Bolton and were duly punished. They may have Danny Gabbidon back to bolster central defence in place of the battered England Under-21 player James Tomkins, who was at fault on both the Trotters' goals.

Gabbidon is returning from injury, but Gianfranco Zola's options at the back are limited as Manuel Da Costa is suspended, while right-back Julien Faubert has sustained hamstring damage.

Jack Collison may also bolster West Ham's midfield, which has looked worn out recently, Scott Parker's dominance of the centre earlier this season not so evident against Bolton. He was outstanding in our 1-1 draw at the Boleyn in December.

Young forward Frank Nouble (pictured below), who quit Chelsea to join West Ham, has returned from a loan spell under Robbie Di Matteo and Eddie Newton at West Brom. He was mostly deployed as a wide player, as at Chelsea, but failed to impress.

His predecessor in the Blues' Academy, Carlton Cole, was playing on his own upfront earlier in the campaign, but is likely to be partnered in a 4-4-2 formation by Guillermo Franco, if Benni McCarthy remains sidelined.

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WE HAVE HISTORY
The last time Chelsea won the league in 2006, a tricky fixture at home to this weekend's opposition presented itself in early April. Alan Pardew's Hammers were in superb form, with new signing Dean Ashton banging in the goals. Meanwhile defeats at Boro and Fulham, and a stalemate at Birmingham, had seen the Blues' lead over Man United at the top of the table - 16 points in mid-January - dwindle to seven.

The day before the game, José Mourinho appeared immune to the pressure the media attempted to heap on him, dismissing comparisons with Devon Loch's flop in the Grand National, and regaling journalists with his Portuguese story of a chasing swimmer dying on the beach. 'If we win the three games at home,' he said, 'then we will be champions.'

Never the less the Sunday Express double-page spread read: 'Will This Be The Day Chelsea Choke?' Even Mourinho must have flinched when on ten minutes James Collins surprisingly opened the scoring for the Hammers, and seven minutes later recent loan signing Maniche was dismissed by Chris Foy.

Instead of submitting to adversity, though, Chelsea showed extraordinary spirit and power to blow West Ham away, Drogba turning in one of his greatest performances in a Blue shirt. The Ivorian equalised after 11 minutes, and pummelled United's defence into submission as Hernan Crespo (pictured below), John Terry and William Gallas made it 4-1 in an incredible turnaround.

Chelsea are looking to extend our unbeaten run against West Ham to 11 games in all competitions. We have won eight and drawn two of the last 10.

West Ham's last win at Stamford Bridge was in September 2002. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink opened the scoring with a penalty but goals from Defoe and Di Canio either side of the break put the visitors in the driving seat. A sublime Zola free-kick brought the scores level but another Paolo Di Canio goal with seven minutes to go secured West Ham's first win of the season.

Our Premier League record against West Ham at Stamford Bridge is:
1993/94 Chelsea won 2-0
1994/95 West Ham won 2-1
1995/96 West Ham won 2-1
1996/97 Chelsea won 3-1
1997/98 Chelsea won 2-1
1998/99 West Ham won 1-0
1999/00 Drew 0-0
2000/01 Chelsea won 4-2
2001/02 Chelsea won 5-1
2002/03 West Ham won 3-2
2005/06 Chelsea won 4-1
2006/07 Chelsea won 1-0
2007/08 Chelsea won 1-0
2008/09 Drew 1-1

The reverse fixture this season
20 December 2009 Premier League
West Ham……..….…1 Chelsea………..……1
Diamanti 44 pen           Lampard 60 pen
                                   Att: 33,388

Chelsea v West Ham in all competitions
Games played 94
Chelsea wins 40
West Ham wins 36
Draws18

Head-to-head in the league at Stamford Bridge
Games played 41
Chelsea wins 20
West Ham wins 12
Draws 9

Biggest league win at Stamford Bridge for each team
09/04/1966 Chelsea 6-2 West Ham
29/03/1986 Chelsea 0-4 West Ham

DAYS SINCE
Chelsea lost a London derby: 357
West Ham last won away to one of the 'Big Four': 1,035
Arsenal won a trophy: 1,757
Liverpool won a trophy: 1,400

Get the latest Chelsea news, watch match highlights, check fixtures and read player profiles with the official Chelsea app.

CHELSEA STATS
Chelsea have lost three Premier League games at Stamford Bridge in six years since February 2004.

Chelsea have kept the most Barclays Premier League clean sheets with Man Utd - 13

It is 142 games and four years since Chelsea last lost back to back Premier League matches.

2009/10 Premier League scorers
Drogba 19, Lampard 12 (6 pens), Anelka 8, Malouda 6, Ballack 4, A Cole 3, Essien 3, Deco 2, Terry 2, J Cole 1, Ivanovic 1, own goals 4 (Givet, Blackburn h, Vermaelen, Arsenal a, Adebayor, Man City a, Smalling, Fulham h). Total 65.

MILESTONES
Frank Lampard needs four more goals to draw level with the joint third highest scorers in our history, Peter Osgood and Roy Bentley on 150.

John Terry is set to make his 446th appearance, which will move him into fifth place ahead of Dennis Wise in our all-time appearances table.

All-time appearances top 10
Ron Harris 795
Peter Bonetti 729
John Hollins 592
Frank Lampard 464
John Terry 445
Dennis Wise 445
Steve Clarke 421
Kerry Dixon 420
Eddie McCreadie 410
John Bumstead 409

Congratulations to Nicolas Anelka who celebrates his 31st birthday on Sunday.

WEST HAM STATS
Formed 1895

Major trophies
3 FA Cups, last in 1980
1 European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965
1 FA Charity Shield in 1964 (shared with Liverpool)

The Hammers have gone 13 games without an away league win since their opening day win at Wolves.

They have kept one clean sheet, at Aston Villa, in their last 12 away games.

West Ham have won two points from the last 21 available away from Upton Park and have failed to score in four of their last seven on the road.

West Ham have won eight points in 14 games on their travels this term scoring 12 goals and conceding 23. Their away Barclays Premier League record is one win (Wolves 2-0), five draws (Blackburn 0-0, Sunderland 2-2, Hull 3-3, Aston Villa 0-0, Portsmouth 1-1) and eight defeats (Wigan 0-1, Man City 1-3, Stoke 1-2, Birmingham 0-1, Bolton 1-3, Tottenham 0-2, Burnley 1-2, Man Utd 0-3).

Manager Gianfranco Zola
Days in charge: 544
Played 70
Won 21
Drawn 19
Lost 30

In 2002/03 West Ham were the first team since Oldham in 1993/94 to achieve the league 'double' over Chelsea and suffer relegation in the same season.

2009/10 Premier League scorers
Cole 9 (1 pen), Diamanti 7 (4 pens), Franco 3, Stanislas 3, Upson 3, Collison 2, Noble 2 (1 pen), Behrami 1, Da Costa 1, Faubert 1, Hines 1, Ilan 1, Jimenez 1 (pen), Kovac 1. Total 36.

WINDOW WATCH
Hammers major January transfers
In Benni McCarthy (Blackburn undisclosed), Ilan (free agent), Mido (Middlesbrough, loan).
Out Luis Jimenez (Inter Milan, loan return), Frank Nouble (West Brom, loan), (Nigel Quashie (QPR, free), Freddie Sears (Coventry, loan).

THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE
The referee is Mark Clattenburg. He last took charge of Chelsea for our draw at Hull as well as the 2-1 win against Portsmouth and the 3-0 home win against Burnley. His most recent West Ham game was the home FA Cup defeat by Arsenal in January.

OTHERWISE ENGAGED
West Ham's Manuel Da Costa is suspended having been sent-off for violent conduct in a reserve match against Chelsea.