Written by Rohit Ghosh

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Chelsea vs West Ham: Analyst Preview

The first week of league play in the EPL wraps up Monday as Chelsea hosts West Ham United.

All eyes will be on Antonio Conte on his coaching debut for a club that recorded the most-disappointing title defense in league history when they finished No. 10 (12-14-12). Out went Jose Mourinho, in comes Conte, looking to make steps in the right direction for a club that won't tolerate too much more losing.

West Ham, on the other hand, enters this season after a promising 2015-2016 campaign, finishing No. 7 with 62 total points. Adding to this momentum will be Andre Ayew, forward, who joins the Hammers after a 12-goal season with Swansea City.

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In a way, the addition of Ayew helps to ensure there's no slump after a strong season, one that saw West Ham as one of the league leaders in goals scored. Ayew's quality of play - at least on paper - helps West Ham take the next step in the standings.

Does Chelsea come out and put on a convincing performance to make up for last season? Do the recent changes do enough to shake things up on the field?

AccuScore ran 10,000+ simulations for this matchup and the results aren't too surprising, at least based on the talent Chelsea has on its roster.

There's nearly a 28 percent chance of the match finishing in a draw; of the matches that didn't end in a draw, Chelsea won about 44 percent of those. West Ham won just under 28 percent of the simulations.

What to Watch for: Keep an eye on West Ham's offense early on. If they're getting some shots up early, there might just be a live betting play or halftime wager opportunity on the Hammers. In the sims West Ham won, they averaged 11-plus shots, compared to fewer than 5 for Chelsea.