Brentford will host West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, with both teams desperate for all three points.
Brentford are coming into the game against West Ham United on the back of two consecutive wins in the league. So, they will be confident of picking up another victory against the East London club.
Brentford have kept back-to-back clean sheets with a comfortable 2-0 win coming in the last outing at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea. Meanwhile, West Ham United have lost four of their last six league matches, and they will need to improve in order to grind out all three points here.
West Ham bounced back with an impressive performance against Arsenal during the midweek in the Carabao Cup. The Hammers picked up a 3-1 win over the Gunners, and they will be confident of getting back to winning ways in the Premier League as well. This is likely to be a thrilling contest between two sides determined to pick up a win.
Saturday afternoon brings us to west London 🚇#WHUFC | @huboofulfilment pic.twitter.com/scwR7YQuML
— West Ham United (@WestHam) November 3, 2023
Team News & Tactics
Brentford
The home side will have to deal with a number of injury problems heading into this game. Rico Henry is sidelined until the end of the season with a knee injury. Ivan Toney remains suspended for breaching the FA gambling regulations.
Meanwhile, Kevin Schade is sidelined with a groin injury, and he is expected to return in January. Joshua Dasilva, Mikkel Damsgaard and Shandon Baptiste are all ruled out with injuries and are expected to return later this month.
Brentford are likely to start in their usual 3-5-2 formation, with Mark Flekken in goal. In the back three, Kristoffer Ajer will start alongside Ethan Pinnock and Nathan Collins. Mads Roerslev and Aaron Hickey will be deployed as the wing-backs, and they will look to protect the central defence and contribute to the attack.
In the middle of the park, Christian Norgaard will start as the defensive midfielder, and he will look to break up the opposition attacks. Mathias Jensen and Vitaly Janelt will start alongside him. In the attack, Bryan Mbeumo will start alongside Yoane Wissa.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Flekken; Ajer, Pinnock, Collins; Roerslev, Janelt, Norgaard, Jensen, Hickey; Mbeumo, Wissa
West Ham United
West Ham United will be without the services of Edson Alvarez, who is suspended for this game after picking up five yellow cards. The Hammers are likely to shape up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation, with Alphonse Areola in goal.
Vladimir Coufal and Emerson Palmieri will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to hit the opposition on the counter and protect the central defence. Kurt Zouma will start in the heart of the defence alongside Nayef Aguerd.
James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek will start in the midfield pivot. While the Czech international will look to add a defensive cover to the midfield, Ward-Prowse will look to create goalscoring opportunities from the deep.
Mohammed Kudus will be deployed as the central attacking midfielder, and he will be expected to operate as the second striker and link the midfield with the attack. Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma are likely to be deployed in the wide areas. Michail Antonio will lead the line for the away side.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Palmieri; Soucek, Ward-Prowse; Bowen, Kudus, Benrahma; Antonio
Key Stats
- Brentford have won four of the last six meetings against West Ham United.
- 11 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two sides.
- West Ham have failed to win five of their last six Premier League matches.
- West Ham United have conceded at least once in each of their last six matches across all competitions.
Player to Watch
Jarrod Bowen
An alternative angle of Bowen’s rocket against Arsenal 🚀 pic.twitter.com/tiO6DJ2Txq
— West Ham United (@WestHam) November 2, 2023
The 26-year-old West Ham attacker has been in fine form this season, scoring six goals and picking up one assist in ten Premier League appearances. He is our key player to watch out for ahead of this contest.
He will look to help create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates, and his incisive runs will allow him to get into goalscoring positions as well. West Ham will need him to step up and make a difference in the final third if they are to pick up all three points.
Prediction
Brentford 1-1 West Ham United
Brentford are in impressive form right now, and the win over Chelsea in their last league outing will have given them immense confidence. They will look to pick up all three points here, and this is likely to be a closely fought contest.
West Ham will be full of confidence after the comprehensive win over Arsenal, and both sides will be desperate to come out on top. The two teams could cancel each other out eventually, and a goalscoring draw could be on the cards here.