Preview: West Ham United vs. Brighton & Hove Albion

Still waiting for their first-ever Premier League home win over Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham United hope to end their Seagulls hoodoo on Saturday at the London Stadium.

Neither side managed to pick up three points in gameweek 16, as Julen Lopetegui‘s men played out a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth after their visitors were beaten 3-1 by M23 derby rivals Crystal Palace.

Match preview

© Imago

The story of West Ham and Bournemouth’s Monday night battle at the Vitality Stadium was a tale of two dead-ball situations; after Lucas Paqueta stroked home a spot kick to put the Irons within touching distance of success, they were denied a precious win by an extraordinary Enes Unal free kick.

Had the Cherries’ Turkish striker not picked out the top corner with one of the Premier League’s goals of the season, the Irons would have revelled in winning successive Premier League games for the first time this season, having got the better of demotion rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 before their trip to the South Coast.

Nevertheless, Lopetegui’s 14th-placed side still have a healthy buffer over the Premier League relegation zone – sitting seven points clear of 18th-placed Ipswich Town, but inconsistency remains the theme of the season for Saturday’s hosts.

Indeed, only once have West Ham followed one Premier League result with the same outcome this season – their back-to-back defeats to Leicester City and Arsenal – suggesting that there will be a winner and a loser in this weekend’s London Stadium battle.

The Irons have been slowly rebuilding the walls of their fortress, though, picking up a respectable 10 points in their last five Premier League games at the London Stadium, the same amount that they had managed in their previous 11 top-flight home showdowns.

© Imago

West Ham’s four-point total from their last two Premier League matches still trumps their visitors’ record from their last four top-flight games, as Fabian Hurzeler‘s Brighton failed to triumph for the fourth time on the spin when fierce foes Palace came to visit the Amex last weekend.

The Seagulls had their wings clipped by a scintillating Ismaila Sarr, who struck two goals of his own and claimed an unorthodox assist for Trevoh Chalobah in a masterful performance from Palace, whose only blot on the notebook was a late Marc Guehi own goal.

A tally of two points from their last four Premier League matches and two wins from their last nine games in all competitions is not befitting of a team with continental aspirations, but the ninth-placed Seagulls are still very much in the European mix, only three points behind Manchester City in fifth.

Always good entertainment value, Hurzeler’s team have both scored and conceded in each of their last nine matches across all competitions, and as inconsequential as Guehi’s own goal was last weekend, it extended the Seagulls’ scoring sequence to 14 matches in the league and EFL Cup combined.

Brighton have also established themselves as West Ham’s home bogey team, avoiding defeat in each of their first seven top-flight visits to the London Stadium; five of those matches have ended level, but the Hammers have never faced a single opponent at home in the Premier League more times without winning.

West Ham United Premier League form:

Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form:

© Imago

It is one in, one out on the suspension front for West Ham, as while Emerson Palmieri is back from a one-game ban served in the Bournemouth loss, midfielder Carlos Soler must sit this one out due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

The Spaniard was hooked for Niclas Fullkrug before the hour mark on Monday night anyway, and that change could now occur from the first whistle, as Lopetegui shifts Jarrod Bowen back to a wide role to accommodate the German centre-forward.

Fullkrug’s fellow striker Michail Antonio is still on the long road to recovery from surgery after his recent car accident, while Jean-Clair Todibo – who has a tight groin – is their only other injury concern.

The Brighton doctors have several more players to look after than West Ham’s do at the minute, and Hurzeler is expected to be without five players for Saturday’s match, including long-term absentee Adam Webster (thigh).

None of Danny Welbeck (ankle), Ferdi Kadioglu (foot), Jack Hinshelwood (knee), James Milner (thigh) or Solly March (knee) are expected to make the cut either, but in brighter news, Matt O’Riley and Joel Veltman are set to return.

The latter two will most likely push for immediate recalls to the first XI, Veltman in place of Tariq Lamptey and O’Riley potentially taking the place of Yasin Ayari in the engine room.

West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Kudus; Fullkrug

We say: West Ham United 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

While West Ham have showed a slightly sturdier edge to them in recent home games, an injury-hit Brighton are lacking inspiration at the minute and cannot be relied on to bolt the back door shut either.

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