Fulham will look to end West Ham’s three game winning run in the league when they square off against Manuel Pellegrini’s side on Saturday evening. After some inconsistency earlier on in the season, the Hammers seem to have found a bit of form, with successive wins against Newcastle, Cardiff and Crystal Palace getting them into a safe mid table position. In fact, if the league started in Round 5, West Ham would be as high as sixth in the table.
The Hammers have a settled look about their side, but there are some problems upfront, with Marko Arnautovic out for a month and Lucas Perez doubtful with a foot injury. Perez and Hernandez started together against Palace, but Pellegrini took the former off at half time with his side trailing 1-0. Andy Carroll played the second half and was solid, but whether he’s fit enough to start is another issue altogether. By his own admission, Carroll is only about 75% fit, and is aiming to build it up slowly. His contract is up at the end of the current season, and a goal or two against Fulham, the side against whom he made his Hammers debut six years ago, will certainly help his chances of a renewal. Should Carroll be only fit enough to play off the bench, it could mean a start for Michail Antonio, Grady Diangana or even youngster Xande Silva.
Felipe Anderson has been in dazzling form for the Hammers. He scored a peach against Palace and is easily their most important player on the pitch in the absence of Arnautovic. The Brazilian would’ve been licking his lips at the prospect of a match up against poor Denis Odoi, who had a torrid game at right back for Fulham in their 4-1 loss to Manchester United, but Cottagers boss Claudio Ranieri is expected to restore Cyrus Christie to his starting XI.
A look into the btts and win tips for GW17 indicates that this game could be ideal for that category. Check out the recent results for both teams- they’ve scored plenty, but let in quite a few too.
Fulham under Claudio Ranieri
Fulham 3-2 Southampton
Chelsea 2-0 Fulham
Fulham 1-1 Leicester
Man Utd 4-1 Fulham
West Ham United last five games
Huddersfield 1-1 West Ham
West Ham 0-4 Man City
Newcastle 0-3 West Ham
West Ham 3-1 Cardiff
West Ham 3-2 Crystal Palace
With Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa suspended, Ranieri is likely to play the returning Calum Chambers in midfield. The Cottagers are bottom of the table with 9 points from 16 games, while West Ham have 21 points to show for their efforts from the same number of fixtures.
Fulham have won three of the last four at home against West Ham- they triumphed 2-1 on New Year’s day in the last meeting between the two sides. The Cottagers have the worst defence by some margin in the league, having already conceded 40 goals this season. If Javier Hernandez scores in this London derby, it will be his 50th league goal.
Eight of Fulham’s nine points have come at home, and West Ham, their 3-0 win at St.James Park notwithstanding, have shown a tendency to struggle on the road. It’s a tough game to call and is reflected in the pundits’ predictions for this one.