WEST HAM midfielder Mark Noble believes his team can spring an upset against Premier League leaders Chelsea on Sunday.

The Hammers head into the game as heavy underdogs, having lost three games in a row, including two defeats in the space of a week at Birmingham and Bolton.

Noble was controversially sent off for a second bookable offence against City last weekend, meaning he missed out on the trip to the Reebok in midweek through suspension. But he is back in the squad to face Chelsea and insists his team should not be ruled out just yet.

“Everyone is going to think it's a foregone conclusion and they are going to win but it is just eleven men against eleven men,” he told the club's official website. “If we can go out there and play to our capabilities and make it hard for Chelsea then you never know what the final score could be.”

West Ham are in dire straits heading into this weekend's derby, as they sit second bottom in the table and are two points adrift of safety.

But Noble is backing the team to get themselves out of trouble.

“I am sure we can dig deep and get out of it,” added the 22-year-old.