West Ham United will face off against Burnley in a relegation scrap at the foot of the table, with both teams coming into this one with key objectives to achieve.
Things are not looking good for Scott Parker and his Burnley side when it comes to having hope of surviving their relegation fight ahead of the crucial game against West Ham United this weekend. The Clarets are already 11 points away from the nearest safety spot currently occupied by Nottingham Forest, as Burnley will hope they drop points in their Friday night kick-off against Leeds United.
Having gone on a four-game unbeaten run, including three in the league, Burnley managed draws against Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham in that period. They were brought back to reality by Sunderland last Monday and put Parker’s squad to the sword with a 3-0 scoreline.
With the hopes steadily fading away, their only hope is to keep winning games and hope their closest rivals, that is, West Ham and Nottingham Forest, steadily drop points between now and the end. While they missed a chance in the most recent gameweek as the Hammers dropped points, Burnley will host the Londoners on Saturday to correct their error.
Since the heavy defeat to relegation favourites Wolves, Nuno Espirito Santo has got this team performing as some of West Ham’s recent results showcase. They did follow that loss to the basement team with another loss to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, but since then, they have managed to win their next three across all competitions.
Those included wins over Tottenham and Sunderland, while they looked primed to take three points at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea. The Hammers put in a commanding first-half performance against the Blues to score twice through Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville, but capitulated in the second period.
Chelsea made their bench count and secured a 3-2 win in the end, leaving the Hammers helpless. A win was needed in the context of their relegation fight, but they must be targeting three points when they travel to Burnley. A win will be needed while West Ham will be hoping Leeds United take points away from Forest in their clash on Friday night.
Team News & Tactics
Burnley
Parker will have to make do without some of his key stars ahead of this relegation scrap with West Ham. Mike Treson Ndayishimiye, Connor Roberts, Jordan Beyer, Zeki Amdouni, and Josh Cullen are all missing out with respective injuries.
Parker will rely on a back three with Bashir Humphreys, Maxime Esteve and Axel Tuanzebe likely to feature there. Lesley Ugochukwue and Florentino Luis should manage the midfield setup, while Kyle Walker and Lucas Pires should feature in the wing-back roles.
Marcus Edwards and Armando Broja should feature in the front three, with top scorer Jaidon Anthony also part of the equation in the frontline.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Dubravka; Tuanzebe, Esteve, Humphreys; Walker, Ugochukwu, Florentino, Pires; Edwards, Broja, Anthony
West Ham United
The loss to Chelsea may have come at a big cost following Jean-Clair Todibo’s late sending off for violent conduct as the defender grabbed Joao Pedro by his throat. The red card will now result in a mandatory three-match ban, with the Frenchman now set to miss this relegation scrap, along with two other games moving ahead.
Beyond Todibo, only Lukasz Fabianski is a doubt for this one, as the Polish keeper will be assessed before the game to determine his participation. Espirito Santo will probably contemplate some changes, but mostly he will rely on the good form some of his attackers are in. He could use the experience of Callum Wilson for this fixture over January arrival Taty Castellanos as an example.
Max Kilman should replace Todibo at the back, while Dinos Mavranopanos will keep his place in central defence, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Malick Diouf should keep their full-back berths. Tomas Soucek and Mateus Fernandes should feature in that midfield, with Pablo operating in a role behind Wilson. The in-form Summerville will be a certain starter alongside talisman Bowen in that frontline.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanis, Kilman, Diouf; Fernandes, Soucek; Bowen, Pablo, Summerville; Wilson
Key Stats
- Burnley keeper Martin Dubravka has made the most saves (97) and conceded the most goals (47) this season in the Premier League.
- Burnley have failed to win their last 15 matches in the Premier League.
- West Ham have won 3 of their last 4 games across all competitions.
- West Ham are 6 points behind the nearest safe side, Nottingham Forest.
Player to Watch
Crysencio Summerville
Sometimes a form of a player directly helps in galvanising team performances, and that might be the case with Summerville and West Ham. The Dutch winger has three goals in as many games, which places him as one of the in-form stars in the division.
However, it is he that Espirito Santo will place massive hopes on to deliver once again, while Summerville will hope to take his recent momentum into the weekend. The Dutch attacker will be key to West Ham’s chances on Saturday, as he has the chance to put Burnley to the sword.
Prediction
Burnley 1-2 West Ham United
Burnley have been resilient over the last many weeks as their results against some of the big opponents have showcased. However, this upcoming clash against West Ham may not have come at the right time for Parker, especially after the heavy defeat to Sunderland.
While the Clarets have been in a good run of form at Turf Moor, the Hammers also have momentum on their side. More importantly, the Londoners will rely on some of their experienced performers to get the job done, with West Ham expected to take three points and try to close the gap with Nottingham Forest in a bid to escape relegation.
