West Ham United are looking to build on victory in their first Premier League match under Graham Potter when they welcome Crystal Palace to London Stadium this Saturday.
The Hammers secured an important 3-2 win over Fulham on Tuesday evening as Carlos Soler, Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta scored to secure a confidence-boosting triumph at the start of the Potter era. They were far from convincing in victory but that will matter little to supporters after such a torrid spell under former manager Julen Lopetegui.
Crystal Palace made it five games without defeat on Wednesday evening as they downed struggling Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. The Eagles were clinical in the East Midlands, securing a crucial win that lifted them eight points above the relegation zone.
Here is 90min’s guide to an all-London affair.
West Ham vs Crystal Palace head-to-head record (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
West Ham |
Crystal Palace |
|---|---|
|
West Ham 3-2 Fulham – 14/01/25 |
Leicester 0-2 Crystal Palace – 15/01/25 |
|
Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham – 10/01/25 |
Crystal Palace 1-0 Stockport – 12/01/25 |
|
Man City 4-1 West Ham – 04/01/25 |
Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea – 04/01/25 |
|
West Ham 0-5 Liverpool – 29/12/24 |
Crystal Palace 2-1 Southampton – 29/12/24 |
|
Southampton 0-1 West Ham – 26/12/24 |
Bournemouth 0-0 Crystal Palace – 26/12/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Not televised – live commentary on talkSPORT Radio 2 |
|
United States |
fuboTV, nbcsports.com, NBC Sports App, UNIVERSO NOW, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, USA Network, UNIVERSO |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 3 Canada |
West Ham will need to sign a new striker in the January window after Niclas Fullkrug suffered a nasty hamstring injury in the FA Cup third round that will rule him out for approximately three months.
Michail Antonio is also missing with a broken leg and the influential Jarrod Bowen is sidelined with a fractured foot, while a late decision will be made on the availability of Crysencio Summerville according to Potter.
At the other end of the pitch, centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo is unavailable due to a muscle injury.
West Ham predicted lineup vs Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson; Rodriguez, Alvarez, Soucek, Kudus, Soler; Paqueta.
Crystal Palace welcomed Will Hughes back from injury midweek and he was excellent in victory over Leicester. However, his midfield partner Jefferson Lerma was substituted during the first half at King Power and is doubtful for the weekend.
Adam Wharton is already missing in the centre of the park as he recovers from groin surgery, while Matheus Franca is a long-term absentee.
Palace have also lost Trevoh Chalobah after he was recalled from his loan by Chelsea, with Chris Richards filling in on Wednesday.
Crystal Palace predicted lineup vs West Ham (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Hughes, Doucoure, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta.
West Ham spirits will have been raised by Tuesday’s win, even if the on-field display wasn’t perfect. Despite scoring three against Fulham and preying on several defensive errors, injuries in the forward line mean creativity may be an issue against a stubborn Palace defence.
The Eagles were ruthless against Leicester and punished the Foxes’ profligacy, something they could repeat at London Stadium. It will be a tight affair between the London foes, with points potentially shared – a result which both sides would be content with.