West Ham United host Crystal Palace in a big London derby for both teams on Saturday. Hammers boss Graham Potter is under serious pressure as they have lost three of their opening four games of the season and were battered 3-0 by local rivals Spurs last time out.
Softfootball believes West Ham’s players don’t appear to be taking to Potter’s tactics and time is running out for him as their talented squad is clearly underperforming and defensively they are all over the place.
Palace meanwhile, have drawn three of their opening four games and are unbeaten so far this season, but Oliver Glasner was not too happy with their summer transfer business after selling Eberechi Eze to Premier League rival Arsenal, and nearly losing captain Marc Guehi on deadline day.
Alongside pacesetting Liverpool and Club World Cup winners Chelsea, Oliver Glasner’s men are one of only three Premier League sides who still possess their unbeaten record, with Palace sitting ninth in the Premier League table after earning six points from four games.
Crystal Palace have an excellent recent record in East London, with the side from the South of the capital unbeaten across their last six visits to the home of West Ham, a run which includes a two-goal victory in January courtesy of a Jean-Philippe Mateta brace.
For Graham Potter and West Ham, the match’s importance is about quietening the noise. The Hammers seem to be dominating radio shows and newspaper columns with bad results, fan letters, protests, and this mean they need a result, or at least a good performance.
Team News
West Ham team news
After picking up a straight red card during the defeat to Tottenham last weekend, West Ham’s Tomas Soucek will begin his three-game suspension in the Premier League on Saturday as highlighted on West Ham official website.
As a result, the Hammers need to find a new partner for James Ward-Prowse at the base of midfield, with Soungoutou Magassa potentialy set to make his full debut.
Apart from the unavailability of their Czech enforcer, the hosts have an almost-full squad to select from, although youngster George Earthy is a doubt owing to a knock.
Crystal Palace team news
Crystal Palace are sweating over the fitness of midfielder Adam Wharton and striker Eddie Nketiah, with both doubts for the trip to East London due to injuries.
There is more conclusive news surrounding the availability of winger Ismaila Sarr who is targeting a return to action during the contest with Liverpool on September 27.
Suffering a knee injury at the beginning of the calendar year, Eagles defender Chadi Riad is edging towards first-team action once again. Ahead of the clash, Crystal Palace posted a video highlight of some of the goals they’ve scored against West Ham at the London Stadium on their X handle as seen below.
Possible Lineups
West Ham United possible starting lineup: Hermansen; Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Diouf; Magassa, Ward-Prowse, Bowen, Fernandes, Summerville; Paqueta
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup: Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Hughes, Lerma, Mitchell; Pino, Kamada, Mateta
SoftFootball’s Prediction
The key to this match will be whether West Ham can find a way to break down the Eagles’ low block without leaving themselves exposed at the back. The individual quality of Bowen and Paquetá gives them a chance, but the team’s overall lack of cohesion is a main problem.
For Palace, the game plan will be to stay compact, frustrate the home side, and look to hit them on the break or from set-pieces. Oliver Glasner’s squad have a great chance to continue their unbeaten record on Saturday.
