Match Preview
West Ham United v Fulham
Premier League Match Day 33 2324 at London Stadium
Sunday 14th April 2024 KO: 14:00
Referee:
Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)
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Fulham visit West Ham United on Sunday afternoon just nine points below The Hammers in 13th position. with West Ham under pressure to deliver a much-needed three points as they bid to remain in the top seven of the Premier League standings.
In December's reverse fixture at Craven Cottage, West Ham lost 5-0 having delivered one of their worst performances of the season, yet it will be Marco Silva who may be worried about conceding so many goals in this game.
Fulham have shipped three goals in each of their last two away fixtures at Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest, extending their dismal away record.
Just two wins and and 11 points have been registered from 16 matches, while Fulham are also on a three-match run without a victory courtesy of last weekend's 1-0 loss at home to Newcastle United.
With the possibility of reducing the gap to West Ham to six points with five matches left, Fulham are not out of European contention just yet, but they will need to show the level of display that they produced in seeing off Manchester United at Old Trafford in February to keep on track.
That said, Fulham have suffered defeat on their last five visits to West Ham, a run stretching back to 2010.
Had West Ham left Bayer Leverkusen with a goalless draw on Thursday night, David Moyes would have been receiving credit for nullifying one of the season's most impressive teams.
Instead, an end result of a 2-0 defeat without laying a glove on the Bundesliga outfit has led to criticism of the Scot's tactics in Germany, West Ham now with just two wins from eight matches in all competitions.
Overturning such a deficit against a team that have not lost a single match all season is highly unlikely, and it could lead to Moyes paying more attention to the Premier League.
Last weekend, West Ham ended a run of four matches without success in the top flight as they posted a 2-1 victory away at Wolverhampton Wanderers, overturning a half-time deficit to prevail at Molineux.
With Manchester United again dropping points, the Hammers are within one point of sixth, yet the greater concern will lie with the chasing pack who have played fewer matches than West Ham.
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West Ham are unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League home meetings with Fulham (W8, D4), a run that stretches back to their first such encounter in 2001, when they lost 2-0.
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The Hammers have won each of their last five against the Cottagers at their own ground, scoring three goals in four of those games.
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However, the Whites are looking to record a first league double over their hosts since 1965-66, having won December's reverse fixture 5-0.
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Fulham are without a win in their last three league games, losing each of the last two.
Their 2-1 victory at Manchester United in February is their only Premier League away win in their previous 15 matches on the road (D5, L9).
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The Cottagers have failed to score in 11 league outings this season, more than any other team in the competition apart from Burnley and Sheffield United, who have both done so 12 times.
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They have scored 10 Premier League goals from corners so far this campaign, with only Arsenal, who have 13, netting more.
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Since the start of February (when he netted his first goal), only Manchester City's Phil Foden (nine) has scored more Premier League goals than Rodrigo Muniz. However, only two of the Fulham forward's eight goals have come away from home.
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Harry Wilson's next league appearance will be his 100th for Fulham.
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West Ham's 6-0 defeat by Arsenal in February is their only loss in their last 11 home league matches (W4, D6).
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However, they have dropped points in six of their eight league encounters that have directly followed a European game this season.
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The Hammers have conceded a goal in each of their last 12 league fixtures, though they have also scored in each of the past seven.
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Their tally of 19 points won from losing positions is the highest they have ever managed in a single Premier League campaign.
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James Ward-Prowse has 100 direct goal involvements in the Premier League, scoring 55 goals and registering 45 assists.
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Jarrod Bowen's 15 goals this season is one short of equalling Paolo Di Canio's record for the most by a West Ham player in a single Premier League campaign.
Source Darren Plant at SportsMole/BBCSports