WHZ View: Three things to look out for in West Ham clash v Fulham
West Ham are looking to make it eight wins in nine for 2021 when they travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham on Saturday.
David Moyes’ men are fifth in the Premier League table after 22 matches played, they ran out 3-1 winners on Wednesday at Villa Park.
Fulham, despite their position in the table, have been in better form than when the two sides met at the London Stadium. The Cottagers haven’t won since November 30th, but have avoided defeat in seven of their last eleven league games.
It’s a massive game for both sides at opposite ends of the table. With that in mind, West Ham Zone have highlighted three things to look out for in the clash.
Back with a bang
Jarrod Bowen was left out of the side that won emphatically against Aston Villa. Moyes made the tactical decision to bring in Ryan Fredericks to double up on Jack Grealish.
Fredericks did a fantastic job, but we expect to see Bowen back in the XI. The winger will be looking forward to linking up with new man Jesse Lingard in west London.
Bowen scored against our first against West Brom and assisted the winner against Crystal Palace in January. He’ll be aiming to add to his tally against the relegation battlers.
Attacking set-plays
As it stands, no team has given more fouls away in the league than Fulham, with 263. They’re averaging 11.7 fouls per 90, something they’ll want to avoid against the Hammers.
Overall, we’re the third highest in the top-flight for aerial duels won, with 963. Our threat from set-plays is undeniable.
We’ve scored from 11 overall this season. Angelo Ogbonna, Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek, and Craig Dawson are just some of the players that pose an ariel threat.
Aaron Cresswell, our set-piece taker, has registered more assists than any defender in the league this season and has the chance to improve that this weekend.
Looking for redemption
Ademola Lookman had a night to forget when the two sides met in November. The attacker missed a panenka style penalty in the 95th minute at the London Stadium.
It was the last kick of the game and gave the Hammers all three points. Since this, Lookman’s gone on to register two goals and three assists in the league for Fulham.
He’s been a shining light in their campaign and will be keen to make up for the previous meeting between the sides.
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