Hammers seek to return to winning ways against resurgent Fulham

Two London clubs meet at the Olympic Stadium late on Saturday night, when West Ham face Fulham.

The Hammers are on a good league run of four league games unbeaten only coming to an end at Anfield last week. Fulham experienced the opposite. A run of six winless games ended with a 2-0 win over West Brom on Monday night.

West Ham will see the calendar’s most difficult fixture as a blip.  A home tie with Fulham should look like a decent opportunity to advance on their 14th place. A decent goal difference means a win could vault them over four sides and into the top half.

A loss, however, would leave them just one point ahead of Fulham, a side considered just a week ago to be relegation certainties. They’d probably only dip one place but they would fall to one point per game, a landmark whose significance will not be lost on their educated fanbase.

Fulham’s performance against West Brom was comfortably their best of the season although that’s not saying much.

Mario Lemina was outstanding for one half and Tom Cairney seemed reborn. Most pleasing of all for Scott Parker was a clean sheet that rarely looked threatened. New center-half Joachim Andersen looked like a formidable addition and his partnership with Tosin Adarabioyo looked to be a significant upgrade on what had come before.

The Hammers will be a tougher test than the Baggies and will start as favourites.

Their eight points from seven games include matches with Arsenal, Leicester City, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool. They have played all of the current top three and seven of the top 11. They are due to have some softer fixtures.

Michail Antonio and Mark Noble probably won’t make it but Aaron Cresswell is expected to be fit.

Mario Lemina went off at half time against West Brom and is said to be touch and go. Aboubakar Kamara is still suspended, while Josh Onomah and Terence Kongolo won’t make it. Kenny Tete and Neeskens Kebano are also unavailable.

West Ham won 3-1 the last time the Cottagers visited in February 2019. Chicharito, Issa Diop and Michail Antonio scored for the home side after Ryan Babel had given the visitors a third minute lead

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