Fulham vs West Ham United: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

This should be a close and well-fought affair between two sides who have endured mixed starts to the season. However, we are backing the hosts to come away with a narrow win. After an opening day defeat to Man United, Fulham are unbeaten in their last three, and unbeaten in their last two against West Ham.

Fulham have also been the first to score in four of the last five games, whilst the Hammers have failed to keep a clean sheet in their previous two games. This fixture has not provided many goals in recent years, with less than 2.5 goals occurring in six of the last eight meetings between the pair. The hosts won their only game at home this season, beating Leicester 2-1 – Fulham 1-0 West Ham

A London derby awaits as West Ham travel across the capital to take on Fulham, with both teams enduring inconsistent starts to the Premier League season.

Date: 14/09/24

Kick-off time: 15:00

Venue: Craven Cottage

Fulham have recorded a win, a draw and a loss in their opening three games, leaving them in 12th place early on. They will have been disappointed not to come away with more in their first game as they lost 1-0 late at Man United. However, since then they have faced two promoted sides, beating Leicester 2-1 before being held to a 1-1 draw at Ipswich. It means they have yet to keep a clean sheet, a run which could continue against a solid West Ham attack.

The Hammers are under new management in Julen Lopetegui after the departure of David Moyes over the summer. It has been a slow start for the Spaniard, with one win and two losses, placing them one spot below this weekend’s opponents in the table. Their two defeats came against superior opposition, losing to Aston Villa and Man City at home. Their only win came on the road at Crystal Palace, away form they will be desperate to replicate once more.

Both teams possess plenty of talent offensively, with West Ham relying on a dangerous attack of Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus behind Michail Antonio. Bowen was the club’s top scorer with 16 goals last season, and he has already got off the mark this campaign. They should be confident in producing chances against a defence who have not kept a clean sheet in seven of their last eight league games dating back to last season.

At the other end, the visitors must watch out for Rodrigo Muniz, Adama Traore and Alex Iwobi. Muniz scored nine goals last year, a team-high. During the transfer window, Fulham made a big signing of Emile Smith-Rowe from Arsenal, giving them another goal threat. The Englishman has already found the back of the net for his new club.

West Ham have been the superior side in this matchup historically, winning 51 games to Fulham’s 34 with 24 draws. Since 2018, they have faced off eight times. The Hammers have got the better of their opponents on five occasions, but have lost the last two. Last season, the hosts did the double, winning both games by a combined score of 7-0. The home fixture at Craven Cottage was a convincing 5-0 win with goals from Raul Jimenez, Willian, Tosin Adarabioyo, Harry Wilson and Carlos Vinicius. The reverse fixture was a 2-0 win.

Fulham vs West Ham will not be available to watch on TV in the UK.

Fulham

Fulham manager Marco Silva should have a fully fit squad to choose from this weekend. He will likely name an unchanged lineup.

West Ham

Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has been struggling with a back injury and is a doubt this weekend. Should he not be available, expect Lukasz Fabianski to get the start. Aaron Cresswell is the only player ruled out.

Fulham:

In their last five games, Fulham have won three, drawn one and lost one. It has been a decent start to the season for Fulham, but they were defeated 1-0 by Manchester United in their Premier League opener. They felt they should have left with more, but lost to a late Joshua Zirkzee winner.

A home game against Leicester allowed them to get back on track, as they won 2-1 against the newly promoted side. Emile Smith-Rowe opened the scoring before Wout Faes levelled it before the break. Alex Iwobi netted the winning goal with 20 minutes to go. Attention shifted to EFL Cup action, and they took on Birmingham. Away from home, they were 2-0 winners to advance to the third round. Raul Jimenez and Jay Stansfield were the scorers.

Ipswich were their latest opponents in the league. Liam Delap gave his side the lead early, but Adama Traore found the back of the net to ensure the points were shared. The first game of this stretch was a final 2-0 pre-season friendly win over Hoffenheim.

West Ham:

In their last five games, West Ham have won two, lost two and drawn one. It has been a mixed start to the season for the Hammers, but they have faced some tough opponents. The first game of the campaign was a home fixture against Aston Villa, and they lost 2-1. Amadou Onana and Jhon Duran scored either side of a Lucas Paqueta penalty.

They quickly got back on track in the next game with a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace. Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen scored within five minutes of each other in the second half to secure the three points. Their last league game was at home to Champions Man City. Erling Haaland put the visitors ahead before an own goal tied it against the run of play. Haaland could not be stopped though as he scored twice more.

Between these two games was an EFL Cup game with Bournemouth. Bowen’s 88th-minute goal sent West Ham through as 1-0 winners. The first game of this stretch was a final pre-season friendly against Celta Vigo in which they drew 2-2.

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