West Ham United vs Fulham - Match Preview
West Ham United takes on fellow Londoners Fulham in the 2nd London derby of the weekend. The match may not be of the same magnitude compared to the one between Arsenal and Chelsea, but still holds a lot of history and
territorial animosity. The hammers will be looking to make it 3 wins in games in all competitions as they host Fulham at the Boleyn Ground.
West Ham United drew 1-1 against Stoke City two weeks back and were at the bottom of the table. They won their midweek tie in Carling Cup against Sunderland by 2-1, and last weekend beat Tottenham Hotspur by the narrow margin of
1-0, hence climbing off the bottom of league table.
One thing that both clubs have in common is the fact that both of them have new managers in charge. Avram Grant, the former Chelsea and Portsmouth manager took over West Ham in summer and the signing of Mark Hughes at Fulham followed
soon after the departure of Roy Hodgson.
Fulham under Roy Hodgson enjoyed a fabulous season last time round, getting their best league finish and also making it to the final of Europa League. The start of this season however, has been promising for them; currently they
are on 7th spot on the table and have not lost a match yet. Fulham have drawn 5 and won one of their first 6 games in the league and have 8 points.
As far as stats with the match are concerned, Damien Duff the former Chelsea and Newcastle winger will be making his 300th league appearance if he gets a call up. Danny Murphy, the former Liverpool striker will be looking
for 2 more goals to complete his half century.
As far as West Ham’s league record at home against Fulham is concerned, they have not lost to the Cottagers at home since 3rd
of November 2001 except for a FA cup tie which Fulham won 3-0 back in 2004.
Looking at the head to head record between the two in Premier League, West ham hold the upper hand with 8 wins in 14 meetings. Two of the matches have ended in a draw and Fulham have 4 wins to their name. Overall this will be the
77th match between the 2 London teams. Overall, West Ham still hold the upper hand with 34 wins compared to 25 for Fulham.
Looking at the team news for the derby, Kieron Dyer may be a doubt for West Ham as he was taken off in the match against Spurs last weekend. He is believed to be suffering from an upset stomach. Herita Ilunga meanwhile has made
his way back to the training pitch and may be able to start.
Winston Reid and Jonathan Spector who were out due to leg injuries played in the reserve game and should be in contention for a place in the team this weekend. Robert Green, the man in goal for West Ham will be looking to continue
his streak as he has now made 132 consecutive league starts for the club.
Benni McCarthy, the former Blackburn player may also be in reckoning for a start, following a sparkling performance in the Carling Cup win against Oxford United.
For Fulham there is some good news as they may be able to welcome back English international Andrew Johnson. The former Everton player has been plagued with a knee injury and has not played since 17th January 2010. Belgium
striker Moussa Dembele, who has already scored 3 goals this season may not be able to start due to an ankle injury that he suffered in the Carling Cup.
West Ham may have the edge considering they are playing at home, but Fulham under the management of Mark Hughes may be looking to convert draws into wins and if they make better use of the opportunities, the Cottagers may be a
handful for the home side.
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