West Ham United will be looking to build on their win in their first Premier League game under Graham Potter when they host Crystal Palace at the London Stadium this Saturday.
The Hammers secured an important 3-2 win over Fulham on Tuesday night as Carlos Soler, Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta scored to secure a confidence-boosting triumph at the start of the Potter era. They were far from convincing with a win, but that will matter little to fans after such a torrid spell under former coach Julen Lopetegui.
Crystal Palace made it a fifth game without defeat on Wednesday night as they beat struggling Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. The Eagles showed composure in the East Midlands, securing a crucial win that took them eight points above the relegation zone.
Here is 90 minutes Guide to an all London affair.
West Ham vs Crystal Palace head-to-head record (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
West Ham | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|
West Ham 3-2 Fulham – 14/01/25 | Leicester 0-2 Crystal Palace – 15/01/25 |
Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham – 01/10/25 | Crystal Palace 1-0 Stockport – 12/01/25 |
Man City 4-1 West Ham – 01/04/25 | Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea – 01/04/25 |
West Ham 0-5 Liverpool – 12/29/24 | Crystal Palace 2-1 Southampton – 12/29/24 |
Southampton 0-1 West Ham – 12/26/24 | Bournemouth 0-0 Crystal Palace – 26/12/24 |
country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | Not televised – live commentary on The Pitch Prospect Radio 2 |
United States | fuboTV, nbcsports.com, NBC Sports App, UNIVERSO NOW, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, USA Network, UNIVERSO |
Canada | fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 3 Canada |
West Ham need to sign a new striker in January after Niclas Fullkrug suffered a serious hamstring injury in the FA Cup third round that will keep him out for around three months.
Michail Antonio is also out with a broken leg and the influential Jarrod Bowen is out with a broken foot, while Potter says a late decision will be made on the availability of Crysencio Summerville.
On the other side of the field, central defender Jean-Clair Todibo is unavailable due to a muscle injury.
Predicted West Ham line-up against Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson; Rodriguez, Alvarez, Soucek, Kudus, Soler; Paqueta.
Crystal Palace welcomed Will Hughes, who returned from injury in midweek, and he was excellent in the win over Leicester. However, his midfield partner Jefferson Lerma was substituted in the first half at King Power and is doubtful for the weekend.
Adam Wharton is already missing from the middle of the park as he recovers from groin surgery, while Matheus Franca is a long-term absence.
Palace have also lost Trevoh Chalobah after he was recalled from his loan spell by Chelsea. Chris Richards replaced him on Wednesday.
Crystal Palace’s expected line-up against West Ham (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Hughes, Doucoure, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta.
West Ham’s spirits will be lifted by Tuesday’s win, even if the performance on the pitch wasn’t perfect. Despite scoring three goals against Fulham and capitalizing on several defensive mistakes, injuries to the forward line mean creativity could be an issue against a stubborn Palace defense.
The Eagles were ruthless against Leicester and punished the Foxes’ wastefulness, something they were able to repeat at the London Stadium. It will be a close affair between the London opponents, with points possibly being shared – an outcome that both sides would be happy with.