West Ham welcome Crystal Palace to the London Stadium in a mid-table clash from Premier League.
Depending on results elsewhere, West Ham could go fourth with a win whereas Palace can potentially enter the top ten temporarily with victory.
Team News
Michail Antonio is set to return for West Ham after recovering from a hamstring injury which has kept him out of their last two matches.
Arthur Masuaku is ruled out after needing surgery on a knee problem that has plagued the DR Congo international throughout recent seasons.
Palace could welcome Tyrick Mitchell back after the defender missed Sunday’s draw against Tottenham through illness.
Martin Kelly (calf), Nathan Ferguson (knee), Wayne Hennessey and Connor Wickham (both thigh) remain sidelined indefinitely.
Stat Attack
- West Ham have won just one of their last five meetings against Crystal Palace (W1, D2, L2).
- Palace have won just one of four previous trips to the London Stadium (W1, D1, L2).
- Both teams have scored in 10 of their last 12 meetings, with West Ham winning on both occasions that just one team scored.
- Angelo Ogbonna is the only West Ham player to have scored more than one headed league goal so far this season, having scored two headers in 12 appearances.
- No Palace player has been substituted more times this season than Jeffrey Schlupp, who has been replaced on six occasions this season.
Prediction
West Ham put in a solid performance to come from behind to beat Leeds on Friday but they just seem to lack the finishing touch on various occasions despite having great build-up of play when on the attack, which poses a serious question coming into this match because Vicente Guaita will be a difficult man to get past if they want to score after his performance on Sunday for Palace against Spurs.
Palace themselves were simply dangerous because they defended solidly yet wasted their chances but most importantly were able to maintain the pressure and pounce on errors when lose possession and reclaim the ball, meaning that this could be a tough match for Hammers’ defence.
Considering the quality of both teams going forward and their defensive ability in recent weeks, I hope that this is an entertaining encounter full of chances at both ends although this could well end in a draw.
Prediction: West Ham 1-1 Crystal Palace
Result: West Ham 1-1 Crystal Palace