As if getting to football wasn’t difficult enough right now new London Underground strikes have hit Chelsea and West Ham.
West Ham travel to Chelsea in the Premier League at the start of May.
And it could be a huge game in the race for the European places.
The Hammers currently sit seventh, four places and five points above Chelsea.
But Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues do have two games in hand on West Ham. Win those and Chelsea will leapfrog David Moyes’ side.
Chelsea vs West Ham could be Euro place six-pointer
The European spots will definitely go down to seventh place this season.
There is a strong chance eighth and even ninth could also be good enough to qualify for UEFA competition.
That will depend on whether the Premier League gets the extra Champions League spot. And on who wins the FA Cup – with Chelsea in the semi-finals.
So come May 4th – when West Ham are scheduled to travel to Chelsea – it could very much be a European six-pointer.
That game has been impacted by a potential issue for fans today, though.
Strikes hit London derby
New London Underground strikes have hit Chelsea and West Ham but the match date could move.
As things stand Chelsea welcome West Ham to Stamford Bridge for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday May 4th.
That’s the same day London Underground drivers who are members of the Aslef union are set to go on strike, it has been announced.
The train drivers’ union said members would walk out for 24 hours on 8 April and 4 May after 98% of its drivers voted in favour of action. The union added there was a 70% ballot turnout, as reported by BBC.
The Chelsea vs West Ham fixture could yet be moved to the Sunday, though.
That’s if West Ham can pull off something of a shock by beating Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League quarter-finals.
Date could change if West Ham make semi-finals
The Hammers play the Germans over two legs on April 11th and 18th.
Should Moyes’ side advance to the semi-finals yet again then they will play AC Milan or Roma away on May 2nd and at home on May 9th.
Making the semis will mean West Ham’s trip to Chelsea is moved back to the Sunday.
If West Ham do not make the semis then it looks like fans will have to plan travel that doesn’t involve the London Underground to get to the game.
West Ham beat Chelsea 3-1 in the reverse fixture at the London Stadium.