Two clubs that have been in good form since the turn of December go head-to-head this weekend, as West Ham travel to Fulham. Despite dominating the game, the Cottagers lost this exact fixture 1-0 last season, with a Harrison Reed own goal separating the two sides.
Fulham
Marco Silva’s Fulham seem to have found their shooting boots over the November international break, as the side have netted ten goals in their last three outings, almost half of their entire goals scored for the season (21). On the other hand, Fulham have been slightly more leaky than usual this campaign, conceding 1.73 goals per game on average. After 15 games, they’re placed in 12th on 18 points.
Their latest three points occurred this week, as they destroyed Nottingham Forest 5-0 at Craven Cottage. Andreas Pereira put on a show, with the magician assisting twice and being instrumental in almost every Fulham attack.
West Ham
The Hammers recruited well in the summer, with the exit of Declan Rice seemingly forgotten about by everyone but the West Ham faithful. David Moyes doesn’t get enough credit for his ability to juggle European competition and domestic fixtures, especially with quite a limited squad. After 15 Premier League matches, his side sits in ninth place, winning seven and collecting 24 points. This tally would be even higher if they found a way to keep the ball out of their net however, as they’ve only kept a single clean sheet all season.
That said, West Ham have been on fire in front of goal, scoring in all but one game and boasting an average of 1.73 per ninety minutes. Jarrod Bowen is the focal point in the side, scoring nine goals already this campaign. His latest came in the impressive 2-1 win over Spurs on Thursday evening.
Verdict?
Fulham surprisingly have a decent home record this season, winning four of their seven matches at Craven Cottage. West Ham are also good on their travels, winning four of their eight away games, the fifth best away record in the Premier League.
Both teams scoring in this game seems extremely likely, especially considering they’re in great form and confidence is high. West Ham should see slightly less of the ball than the hosts, but they will pack-a-punch on the counterattack via Mohammed Kudus and Bowen. Preventing the overloads of Alex Iwobi, Willian and Antonee Robinson will be key to their success.
The final prediction is Fulham 1-2 West Ham.
