West Ham United and Brentford are out of form as things stand, and they will face off on Monday night to gain some momentum.
A Monday night London Derby is upon us as West Ham United will hope to end their dreadful start to 2024 with a win over Brentford. The Hammers have yet to register a win since beating Arsenal at the Emirates at the end of December and have also lost three straight games heading into this clash.
The Hammers are pondering changing their manager in the summer should results continue to falter, and they end up losing their European status. They are in the hunt for either the Europa League or Europa Conference League places, although a few more bad results would jeopardise that dream.
They could and would undoubtedly angle staying in Europe by winning the Europa League, but Moyes would know it is a long shot. Having lost to Arsenal at home with a six-goal margin, the Hammers went to Nottingham Forest to restore parity, only for a Kalvin Phillips red card to be the catalyst in a 2-0 loss to return from the City Ground.
Meanwhile, Brentford are also in a terrible run of form, having lost four of their last five games in the Premier League. However, Thomas Frank’s side did not have the luxury of facing some teams of a similar level and were instead handed a challenging fixture period.
The only win came against the Wolves away from home, although the four losses included defeats over Liverpool and Tottenham and twice against Manchester City. Hence, Frank will have a reason to explain why his team faltered, especially considering they have missed many of their critical stars.
However, Frank will know that this game against West Ham is a chance to make amends and get the Bees back to winning. Brentford’s record against the Hammers is excellent, having won each of their last five games in the league against this opponent, including a 3-2 win earlier this season.
Team News & Tactics
West Ham United
As things stand, David Moyes could have a full-strength squad, barring the suspended Kalvin Phillips. The English midfielder picked up two quick yellows against Nottingham Forest and will sit out the Brentford match.
Meanwhile, on the injury front, only Lucas Paqueta has a slight doubt about being featured from the start. The Brazilian has resumed full training, and he is likely to start should the manager deem him fit enough for that purpose. However, Moyes should be cautious and probably hand him a few minutes off the bench.
With Paqueta still doubtful, Moyes might continue to deploy Edson Alvarez and Tomas Soucek in central midfield, with James Ward-Prowse playing the slightly advanced role. Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen are the clear choices for the wide roles, with Michail Antonio leading the line for the Hammers.
Vladimir Coufal and Emerson will feature in the full-back roles, with Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma the preferred players in the central defensive role.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Soucek, Alvarez; Bowen, Ward-Prowse, Kudus; Antonio
Brentford
Unlike West Ham, Brentford have a long list of injured players who are not available to participate in the game on Monday night and beyond. Rico Henry, Aaron Hickey, Ethan Pinnock, Kevin Schade, Bryan Mbeumo, and Josh Dasilva remain unavailable for the foreseeable future.
Thomas Frank might bring Nathan Collins to his backline at the expense of Mathias Jorgensen. Meanwhile, Mathias Jensen might come into the midfield trifecta for Vitaly Janelt, starting alongside Christian Norgaard and Frank Onyeka.
Mads Roerslev and Sergio Reguilon will continue their way from the wing-back positions and provide width to the attacking side. Frank could alter his attacking lineup, with Yoane Wissa likely to make way for Neal Maupay and partner Ivan Toney in a front two.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Flekken; Collins, Ajer, Ben Mee; Roerslev, Onyeka, Norgaard, Jensen, Reguilon; Toney, Maupay
Key Stats
- West Ham United have yet to win a game in 2024.
- West Ham have failed to score in their last three matches in the Premier League.
- West Ham have lost their last five games against Brentford in the Premier League.
- Brentford have lost nine of their last 11 matches in the Premier League.
- After going unbeaten in 14 London Derbies, Brentford lost their last three games.
Player to Watch
Ivan Toney
Toney has been on song since his return from the betting ban in January. Thomas Frank would have been happy to see his talismanic striker keep the scoring touch he is so revered for, and he hopes he continues to shine between now and the end of the season.
Meanwhile, considering the last four losses against some big teams as understandable, Toney has performed well in those clashes. The in-demand striker must now showcase absolutely stunning to help Brentford climb up the table from their current position, and they will want to make a mark against the Hammers.
Prediction
West Ham United 1-1 Brentford
These are two teams in dreadful form, probably only better than the two bottom clubs in Sheffield United and Burnley. West Ham have not won any games in 2024, while Brentford lost four of their last five league encounters.
Both have respective objectives to reach before the end of the campaign and will fight it out in this London derby with their total energy. However, with neither side showcasing the proper form that would make them favourites in this clash, the fixture has hallmarks of a drab draw.