West Ham United vs Fulham

London Stadium sets the stage for an all-London Premier League clash between West Ham United and Fulham.

West Ham’s lofty ambitions on the European front took a tumble in midweek Europa League action as Bayer Leverkusen scored twice beyond the 80th minute to beat them 2-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie. But they’ve fared well in the Premier League of late, losing just once in their last seven matches (W3, D3), most recently coming from behind to seal a 2-1 win at Wolverhampton. The London Stadium has been a fortress, as apart from a 6-0 demolition at the hands of Arsenal, the Hammers have lost a home league game since late October (W4, D6), inspiring hope of avenging a humiliating 5-0 defeat in December’s reverse fixture.

That thumping result remains Fulham’s solitary success across their last seven matches against West Ham (D1, L5). Such a dismal H2H run, coupled with back-to-back league defeats in the lead-up to this match-up, quashes the Cottagers’ hopes of posting their first away win against the Hammers since 2004 (D3, L8). Adding to this sentiment, just four sides have generated more Premier League points on the road this season than Fulham’s 11 (W2, D5, L9). Manager Marco Silva will expect more urgency from his team in the opening stages after the Cottagers conceded first on their last three league travels (D1, L2). That’s particularly concerning, knowing they faced two bottom-four sides in that sequence.