Anyone who has ever been to a game between West Ham United and Chelsea may use any of the following words to describe the atmosphere.
Tasty. Lively. Spicy. Electric.
Wednesday night will be no different.
[ MORE: Rooney to leave? ]
The first-ever London derby at West Ham’s London Stadium will take place in the EFL Cup last 16 clash between the bitter rivals.
With several security issues at West Ham’s stadium in its opening months of operation (fighting among home fans, plus scuffles with some away fans outside and inside the ground, and plenty of unrest with the stewarding and seating situation) extra steps are being taken to ensure there is no trouble between the rival sets of fans.
Alcohol will not be served around the ground before kick off, while there will be segregation after the game to split up the fans and extra security checks will take place on entry to the stadium.
West Ham released a statement detailing that London’s Metropolitan Police will be on site to help out the security services who have previously been handling all of the game-day stewarding at the new venue.
The Metropolitan Police Service has a tactical solution for matches being held at the London Stadium which will allow the safe deployment of officers into the stadium, if required, to deal with any crime or disorder. The Metropolitan Police Service have confirmed for this fixture, and for every match going forward, that a tactical solution will be in place at London Stadium. This will allow the safe deployment of officers into the stadium, if required, to deal with any crime or disorder, before a permanent Airwave radio solution is installed by February 2017.
Chelsea also had the following to say in a very similar statement:
In light of recent incidents at the stadium there will be much attention on the fixture and especially on the conduct of supporters from both clubs. We understand this is the first time a game of this magnitude has taken place there and we are looking at West Ham United and the local authorities to deliver a safe event.
As previously announced, we requested the maximum allocation of seating for visiting fans, which under this competition’s regulations is 10 per cent of the stadium’s capacity (approximately 5,700 tickets in this case) but regrettably we were only allowed 5182 due to the EFL granting special dispensation to West Ham for this competition.
We wanted a larger allocation so as many Chelsea fans as possible could enjoy what promises to be a passionate occasion. We appreciate there is a long-established rivalry between these two London clubs but we ask all supporters to remain respectful and refrain from any form of offensive or discriminatory behavior. Please do not travel to the game if you do not have a match ticket.
If any incidents do occur, avoid becoming involved. A vast CCTV operation will be utilized both inside the stadium and over a wide area in the vicinity. Even if arrests are not made on the night, the police will work with the clubs to identify and arrest individuals. Chelsea will ban any of our supporters shown to be involved. The policing operation will include transport hubs on the routes to and from the stadium.Follow @JPW_NBCSports