Matchday 21 in the Premier League sees West Ham take on Fulham on January 14 at the London Stadium. West Ham vs. Fulham: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Craig Pawson (England)
Matches – 12 (Premier League, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 52;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.3;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 25%.
Predicted lineups for West Ham vs. Fulham
West Ham (4-2-3-1): Alphonse Areola – Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Vladimir Coufal – Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez – Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus, Crysencio Summerville – Niclas Füllkrug.
Fulham (4-3-2-1): Bernd Leno – Calvin Bassey, Joachim Andersen, Issa Diop, Timothy Castagne – Tom Cairney, Alex Iwobi, Sasa Lukic – Antonee Robinson, Harry Wilson – Raul Jimenez.
Each team's starting lineup in their previous match in this tournament is indicated.
West Ham
The Londoners faced top opponents in their last two league matches and suffered heavy defeats. They lost 0-5 at home to Liverpool and then 1-4 away to Manchester City. Interestingly, Julen Lopetegui's side has already suffered nine defeats this season, six of which were by a large margin. These results led to the club's management deciding to dismiss the Spanish coach a week before the start of Matchday 21. West Ham is currently 14th in the table, seven points ahead of the nearest relegation zone rival.
Graham Potter, who previously worked with Chelsea and Brighton, has been appointed as West Ham's new manager. Additionally, forwards Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen will miss the match due to injuries.
- Both teams have scored in 6 of West Ham's last 8 Premier League games.
- The number "1" appeared in the final score in 6 of West Ham's last 7 league matches.
- At least three goals have been scored in 10 of the club's last 12 home Premier League fixtures.
Fulham
Marco Silva's side played their last two league matches at home but couldn't capitalize on their home support. They drew 2-2 with both Bournemouth and Ipswich. Nonetheless, the Londoners are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games (2 wins, 6 draws). The club is ninth in the standings, four points away from the European competition spots.
Forward Reiss Nelson and defender Kenny Tete remain sidelined for about a month due to injuries.
- Both teams have scored in 8 of Fulham's last 9 Premier League encounters.
- At least two goals were scored in the second half in 5 of Fulham's last 6 away games in the Premier League.
- In 6 of the club's last 7 league matches, one team won 1-0 in the first half.
West Ham vs. Fulham: Match Prediction
Beating Marco Silva's team this season is incredibly difficult. The club has only suffered four defeats in the current league campaign, with only Liverpool and Arsenal losing fewer. Fulham has repeatedly taken points from Premier League leaders, defeating Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, and drawing with Arsenal and Liverpool, while dropping precious points against lower-ranked teams. Therefore, I'm hesitant to predict a clear win for the visitors, as they might settle for a draw, as they have in 5 of their last 6 Premier League matches.
Meanwhile, West Ham has already secured six victories this season but has only managed to defeat Newcastle among higher-ranked opponents. The home advantage hasn't helped much, with the Londoners winning just once against Wolverhampton in their last five home games (2 draws, 2 losses). It's worth highlighting West Ham's defense, which concedes an average of two goals per league match. Fulham should find it easy to break down such a defense, considering they have only failed to score away at Manchester United in the current Premier League season. Additionally, Marco Silva's team has not lost to their city rivals in their last three league encounters (2 wins, 1 draw).
My prediction – Fulham with a handicap (0)
