You could forgive Antonio Conte for not exactly relishing the thought of a London derby, even if it was against a struggling rival.
Chelsea's 1-0 defeat to West Ham made it look even less likely that the Blues will be able to carry out a successful defence of their title, with Manchester City 11 points clear and with a game in hand.
And the result, secured following Marko Arnautovic's first-half strike, has brought to the fore a striking statistic regarding Conte's record in the English capital.
Of the nine total defeats Conte has suffered during his time in the Premier League, five of them have now come in London derby matches.
0 - Chelsea didn't attempt a single shot on target in the second half against West Ham United, this despite having 71.8% of possession after the break. Frustrated. pic.twitter.com/tgQBptCSKw
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 9, 2017
Crystal Palace (twice), Arsenal, Tottenham and now David Moyes's Hammers have all tasted victory against the Italian since his arrival from Italy.
The Blues, despite dominating possession, also failed to register a single shot on target in the second half and have now dropped 16 points in their 16 league games already this season.
Next up for Chelsea is a trip to Huddersfield on December 12, followed by a home date with Southampton on December 16.