Matchday 21 of the Premier League between West Ham and Fulham will take place on January 14 at the London Stadium. West Ham vs. Fulham: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Predicted lineups for West Ham vs. Fulham
West Ham (4-2-3-1): Alphonse Areola – Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Vladimir Coufal – Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez – Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus, Crysencio Summerville – Niclas Fullkrug.
Fulham (4-3-2-1): Bernd Leno – Calvin Bassey, Joachim Andersen, Issa Diop, Timothy Castagne – Tom Cairney, Alex Iwobi, Sasa Lukic – Antonee Robinson, Harry Wilson – Raul Jimenez.
Each team's starting lineup from their last match in this tournament is listed.
West Ham
The Londoners faced top opponents in their last two league matches and suffered heavy defeats. First, they lost 0-5 at home to Liverpool, and then 1-4 away to Manchester City. Interestingly, Julen Lopetegui's side has already suffered nine defeats this season, six of which were by a large margin. These results led to the club's decision to dismiss the Spanish coach a week before the start of Matchday 21. West Ham is in 14th place, seven points ahead of the nearest relegation zone competitor.
Graham Potter, formerly with Chelsea and Brighton, has been appointed as West Ham's new manager. It is also important to note that forwards Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen will miss the match due to injuries.
- Both teams scored in 6 of the last 8 matches involving the Londoners in the Premier League.
- The number "1" appeared in the final score in 6 of West Ham's last 7 league matches.
- At least three goals were scored in 10 of the club's previous 12 home Premier League games.
Fulham
Marco Silva's side played their last two league matches at home but failed to capitalize on their home support. They drew 2-2 with both Bournemouth and Ipswich. Nevertheless, the Londoners are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games (2 wins and 6 draws). The club is ninth in the standings, four points behind the European competition places.
Forward Reiss Nelson and defender Kenny Tete will be out for about a month due to injuries.
- Both teams scored in 8 of Fulham's last 9 Premier League matches.
- At least two goals were scored in the second half in 5 of the Londoners' last 6 away games in the Premier League.
- In 6 of the club's last 7 league matches, one team won 1-0 in the first half.
West Ham vs. Fulham: Match Prediction
Defeating Marco Silva's side this season is incredibly difficult. The club has suffered only four defeats in the current league campaign, with only Liverpool and Arsenal losing fewer. Fulham has repeatedly taken points from Premier League leaders, defeating Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, and drawing with Arsenal and Liverpool, while also dropping valuable points against underdogs. Therefore, I hesitate to back a clean win for the visitors, as they might again settle for a draw, as they did in 5 of their last 6 Premier League matches.
Meanwhile, West Ham has already claimed six victories this season, but among higher-ranked opponents, they have only defeated Newcastle. The home ground has not been much of an advantage, as the Londoners have only beaten Wolverhampton in their last five home games (2 draws and 2 losses). Notably, West Ham's defense concedes an average of two goals per match in the league. Fulham should find it easy to break through such a defense, considering they have only failed to score away to Manchester United in the current Premier League. Additionally, Marco Silva's team has not lost to their London rivals in the last three league meetings (2 wins and 1 draw).
My prediction – Fulham with a handicap (0)
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