West Ham United will host Fulham at the London Stadium on Saturday, looking to continue their fight for survival with a big performance.
West Ham United are without a win in their last six matches in all competitions, and they cannot afford to drop points in the game vs Fulham at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon if they want to play in the Premier League next season.
The Hammers are 18th in the Premier League table, and they need to start picking up points. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men are coming into the game on the back of consecutive defeats, and the home fans will demand a strong reaction from the players.
On the other hand, Fulham are in the mid-table positions, and they have picked up four wins from their last six Premier League matches. The Cottagers will certainly fancy their chances here, and they will look to pick up a win away from home.
West Ham are completely lacking in form and confidence. It will be interesting to see if the East London club can get the job done. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
West Ham United
Lukasz Fabianski will miss out due to a lower back issue. El Hadji Malick Diouf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are away for AFCON. However, there is some good news, as Oliver Scarles is finally fit and available to take on Fulham this weekend.
West Ham United will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Fulham, with Alphonse Areola in goal. Kyle Walker-Peters and Max Kilman will start as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Konstantinos Mavropanos will start alongside Jean-Clair Todibo at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Tomas Soucek will start alongside Soungoutou Magassa in the douoble pivot. They will look to add defensive cover and physicality to the midfield. Mateus Fernandes will start as the attacking midfielder here, and he will look to create goalscoring chances for his teammates.
Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta will add creativity, flair, and goals from the flanks. Finally, Callum Wilson will spearhead the West Ham United attack vs Fulham at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Todibo, Kilman; Soucek, Magassa; Bowen, Fernandes, Paqueta; Wilson
Fulham
Ryan Sessegnon is struggling with a knock, and Rodrigo Muniz is recovering from a hamstring problem. Additionally, Marco Silva is sweating over Harry Wilson’s fitness. Meanwhile, Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, and Samuel Chukwueze are away at the AFCON.
Fulham will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs West Ham United, with Bernd Leno in goal. Kenny Tete and Antonee Robinson will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to help the team at both ends of the pitch. Joachim Andersen will start alongside Jorge Cuenca at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic will add defensive cover and physicality in the middle of the park. They will look to break up the opposition’s attacking moves and win the ball back.
Joshua King will be the attacking midfielder here, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Kevin and Harry Wilson will start on the flanks, and they will look to add pace and flair to the side. Adama Traore will start instead of Wilson if he is not fit and available. Finally, Raul Jimenez will lead the line for Fulham vs West Ham on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno, Tete, Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson; Berge, Lukic; Wilson, King, Kevin; Jimenez
Key Stats
- West Ham United have won seven of their last eight home matches against Fulham in all competitions. 17 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
- West Ham United have failed to win their last six matches in the Premier League.
- Fulham have picked up four wins from their last six Premier League matches.
- West Ham have lost 10 home league matches in 202. It is only the third time they have lost 10+ games at home in a year, along with 1931 (10) and 1967 (11).
- Since Nuno Espirito Santo’s first Premier League match in charge, only Burnley (7) and Wolves (1) have won fewer points than West Ham (10). He is averaging just 0.83 points per game as Hammers boss, the lowest of any permanent boss in their Premier League history.
Player to Watch
Harry Wilson
The Fulham attacker is our key player to watch out for. Wilson has been in impressive form for club and country in recent weeks. In the last six matches for the West London club, he has registered three goals and three assists. So, it is hardly surprising that he was a popular pick in our FPL suggestions throughout this week.
He will look to create opportunities for his teammates here and find the back of the net once again. West Ham are quite poor at the back, and the Welsh international has the technical attributes to open them up and take advantage of their defensive vulnerabilities. It remains to be seen whether he can help his team pick up a vital away win.
Prediction
West Ham United 1-2 Fulham
Both teams will be desperate for a victory here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Neither side is defensive in their approach, and they will look to pick up all three points. There will be a fair amount of chances for either side, and an open game is on the cards.
Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet, but Fulham are in better form, and they should be able to pick up a narrow victory. West Ham are likely to be let down by their defensive unit. A narrow win for the visitors is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Marco Silva and his charges.
