There's an all-London affair to enjoy on Tuesday night as Graham Potter takes charge of his first Premier League game as West Ham manager against Fulham.
Potter was in the dugout on Friday night just days after he was confirmed as Julen Lopetegui's successor in east London. There were positive signs at Villa Park and the FA Cup tie was reversed after a wrong decision to award Aston Villa a corner which led to the hosts levelling.
The Englishman has a lot of work to do with a squad that is perhaps not ideal for his frame given the lack of legs in midfield and injuries at the top.
West Ham enter Tuesday's game in 14th place in the table having won just six of their 20 league games under Lopetegui.
Unlike the Hammers, Fulham progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup by way of a 4-1 win over Watford on Thursday night. The Cottagers are currently nine games unbeaten in all competitions, but their tendency to draw means they are only ninth in the Premier League table.
Marco Silva's side are chasing a place in Europe and they are within touching distance of the top seven.
Here it is 90 minutes guide to Potter's London Stadium arch.
Record between West Ham and Fulham (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
West Ham |
Fulham |
|---|---|
|
Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham – 10/01/25 |
Fulham 4-1 Watford – 09/01/25 |
|
Man City 4-1 West Ham – 04/01/25 |
Fulham 2-2 Ipswich – 05/01/25 |
|
West Ham 0-5 Liverpool – 29/12/24 |
Fulham 2-2 Bournemouth – 29/12/24 |
|
Southampton 0-1 West Ham – 26/12/24 |
Chelsea 1-2 Fulham – 26/12/24 |
|
West Ham 1-1 Brighton – 21/12/24 |
Fulham 0-0 Southampton – 22/12/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live streaming |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
TNT Sports 4, discovery+, discovery+ app |
|
United States |
peacock |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 4 Canada |
Niclas Fullkrug's long-term hamstring injury has added to West Ham's injury woes in attack, with Potter also without Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen early in his tenure. With Fullkrug out, Danny Ings could win something rare Premier League begins in east London.
Ings scored in the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage in September – his only goal of the season so far.
Defensively, Jean-Clair Todibo and Emerson could be out, so there is unlikely to be any change in Potter's back line on Tuesday. Teenager Oliver Scarles impressed at left-back at Villa Park.
West Ham predicted formation against Fulham (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Scarles; Soucek, Alvarez; Kudus, Paqueta, Summerville; Ing.
Fulham are still without Kenny Tete and Reiss Nelson due to respective knee and groin injuries, while Sander Berge and Rodrigo Muniz are both doubts for Tuesday's game.
There could be a return to a back three for Silva given the personnel at his disposal, with Antonee Robinson suited to a left-back role.
Tom Cairney could start alongside Sasa Lukic in midfield if Berge does not return, while the in-form Raul Jimenez is a safe bet to return to the Cottagers' XI.
Fulham predicted formation against West Ham (3-4-3): Leno; Diop, Andersen, Bassey; Castagne, Lukic, Cairney, Robinson; Wilson, Jimenez, Iwobi.
The spoils were shared at Craven Cottage in September, and these two sides could play another tie on Tuesday night.
While Fulham have scored at least twice in five of their previous six outings, they will be up against a Potter-led side eager to achieve early stability. The foundations of the defense need to be put in place in east London under the Englishman, given how badly West Ham performed without the ball under Lopetegui.
Cramps are certainly not uncommon at the start of a new manager's tenure, and West Ham's injury woes mean they are unlikely to have much of a threat in the final third.