Verdict: West Ham win
Best Odds: 6/4
Bookmaker: Bet365
Looking to make it four Premier League wins on the bounce, Manuel Pellegrini’s resurgent West Ham side will travel to Craven Cottage on Saturday evening.
Fulham
Starting with the hosts, while much was expected of Fulham after breaking the bank over the summer, last year’s Championship playoff winners have been drastically short of form. Coming off the back of a 4-1 hammering away at Old Trafford, the Whites currently find themselves sat bottom of the Premier League table approaching Christmas. Despite bringing in former title winning boss Claudio Ranieri to replace Slavisa Jokanovic last month, the west London side are still struggling to adjust to life under the Italian. If there is one key area that Fulham and Ranieri must improve on it will undoubtably be their woeful defensive record. The only side across any of England’s footballing leagues yet to record a single clean sheet this season, Fulham are without a clean sheet in 20 Premier League games, conceding 51 goals. If Saturday’s hosts are to mount a push out of the relegation zone, Ranieri will be needing Serbian international and leading goalscorer Aleksander Mitrovic to lead from the front. While the 24-year-old does have seven Premier League goals to his name and also bagged a brace in Ranieri’s debut 3-2 win over Southampton last month, Mitrovic has failed to find the net in his other 11 appearances for Fulham.
Team News
Fulham will be without Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who was sent off against Manchester United last weekend.
Calum Chambers has shaken off the minor problem that saw him miss that game, but fellow defender Maxime Le Marchand remains sidelined.
West Ham
As for the visitors, while it might have been a sluggish start to the season for West Ham, the Hammers are showing some real signs of improvement under Manuel Pellegrini. Picking up a 3-2 win over Crystal Palace last weekend, they are now enjoying a three-match winning run and will have their sights firmly set on climbing back into the top half of the table. Another victory for the Hammers on Saturday would equal be their best run of form in just over four season. A side that is filled with a newfound confidence, it will be their form in the final third most impressing the former Manchester City boss. The visitors have scored three times in their last three wins – they haven’t done so in four consecutive top-flight matches since 1928. While talisman Marko Arnautovic might be set for up to a month on the sidelines after picking up an injury, Pellegrini will be very excited by the form of summer arrival Felipe Anderson. The former Lazio man once again found the net in last weekend’s victory and the 25-year-old now has five Premier League goals in his last six appearances.
Team News
West Ham midfielder Jack Wilshere will miss a third consecutive match due to an ankle problem.
Forward Lucas Perez is a doubt because of a cut foot, with Michail Antonio or Andy Carroll set to replace him.
Key Factors to Consider
- Fulham have won just one of their last 13 Premier League matches (D3, L9).
- They have lost seven of their last eight Premier League London derbies (D1, L7), including all four this season.
- Felipe Anderson has now scored six Premier League goals this season, with five of those strikes coming in his last six outings.
- West Ham are aiming to win four league games in a row for the first time since February 2014.
- Javier Hernandez has scored three goals in his last three league games. His next goal will be his 50th Premier League goal.
Conclusion
On paper, Manuel Pellegrini should see Saturday’s London derby as the perfect opportunity to extend on their winning run. Given Fulham’s woeful defensive record since returning to the top-flight, coupled with West Ham now finding the net three times in their last three outings, we’re backing the Hammers to leave Craven Cottage with the three points this weekend.
Verdict: West Ham win
Best Odds: 6/4
Bookmaker: Bet365
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