Genk welcome West Ham to the Cegeka Arena in a huge Group H clash in 2021-22 UEFA Europa League Group Stage.
Victory would see Genk go second if Dinamo Zagreb and Rapid Wien draw in the other Group H match, whereas West Ham can seal qualification with a win.
Team News
Genk could be without Simen Juklerod due to unspecified reasons.
Carlos Cuesta is ruled out out with an unspecified injury.
West Ham have no fresh injury concerns to report with Alex Kral set to return if he passes a late fitness test, having missed the Hammers’ last five matches after testing positive for Coronavirus.
Stat Attack
- Genk lost their first-ever meeting against West Ham in all UEFA competitions following a 3-0 loss in East London a fortnight ago.
- West Ham are visiting Genk for the very first time but have won their only previous away match against Belgian opposition across all UEFA competitions – beating KAA Gent 1-0 in September 1964.
- Genk are winless in two previous home matches against English opposition in all competitions (D1, L1).
- David Moyes’ Hammers are yet to score in the opening 20 minutes of their Europa League matches this season.
- Genk have lost their last two group matches by 3-0 results against Dinamo Zagreb and West Ham respectively.
Prediction
Genk come into this match on a high after netting 12 goals in their last two matches which should hopefully mean that they will mount a better fight than they managed in East London two weeks ago, although defending has to improve if they’re to keep West Ham quiet.
David Moyes’ Hammers though are riding a wave of confidence after overcoming three difficult matches in which they were clinical and aggressive in their play, which was particularly evident against Aston Villa on Sunday in how their play overwhelmed Villa across the entire match.
Now if West Ham continue their impressive play then Genk could be in trouble but the Belgian club can take heart from their performances this past week, because if they’re able to dig in and take the fight to the Hammers then they might get something but West Ham just look too strong.
Prediction: Genk 1-2 West Ham
Result: Genk 2-2 West Ham