Preview: Burton Albion vs West Ham United - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams fighting to avoid relegation in their respective divisions square off at the Pirelli Stadium in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday lunchtime, as League One outfit Burton Albion play host to Premier League side West Ham United.

This is the first ever meeting between the two clubs in any competition, with the Brewers to become the 150th different team the Hammers have faced in a competitive match.

Match preview

Since beating Queens Park Rangers 2-1 after extra time in the FA Cup third round last month, West Ham have boosted their hopes of Premier League survival by collecting 10 points from their last five matches (W3 D1 L1), most recently sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw with Man United on Wednesday.

The Hammers were on course to claim maximum points at the London Stadium, but Tomas Soucek’s second-half opener was cancelled out by a 96th-minute strike from Benjamin Sesko, leaving Nuno Espirito Santo’s side in 18th spot in the table and three points adrift of safety with 12 games remaining.

Nuno admitted that conceding so late on against Man United was “tough to take” following another strong performance, but he and his players have now shifted their attention to the FA Cup, a “beautiful competition” that West Ham have won three times in their history, last doing so in 1980.

The Hammers head into this weekend’s contest looking to advance to the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2022-23 – they have progressed from their last three ties at this stage of the competition since losing 1-0 to West Bromwich Albion in 2019-20.

West Ham have also progressed from each of their last five FA Cup ties against teams from League One or lower since suffering a 4-2 defeat against AFC Wimbledon back in January 2019.

Burton Albion have struggled to build on their emphatic 5-0 FA Cup third-round victory at Boreham Wood last month, with a 3-1 league win at home to Huddersfield followed by three defeats and two draws, including a 2-2 draw with League One basement club Port Vale last weekend.

Jake Beesley scored twice, including a second-half equaliser, to rescue a valuable point for the Brewers. Sitting 21st in the table and just one point adrift of safety, they have 16 games remaining to preserve their third-tier status for an eighth consecutive campaign.

Gary Bowyer’s side have a favourable home fixture against Rotherham next Tuesday, but they must first turned their attention to the FA Cup as they endeavour to reach the fifth round for the first time in their history.

Burton are the leading scorers in this season’s FA Cup with 14 goals (first round onwards), but it is worth noting that they have beaten non-league opposition in each round, with wins over St Albans City (6-0) and Brackley Town (3-1) in rounds one and two followed by their aforementioned five-goal triumph at Boreham Wood.

Nevertheless, the Brewers’ 14-goal tally is the highest of any team from the third tier of below across the first three rounds of the FA Cup proper (excluding replays) since Oxford United in 1995-96 (also 14).

Burton Albion FA Cup form:

Burton Albion form (all competitions):

West Ham United FA Cup form:

West Ham United form (all competitions):

Team News

Burton duo Charlie Webster and Finn Delap recently returned to training after spells out through injury, but they remain weeks away from making a first-team comeback, while Saturday’s game may come too soon for Dylan Williams and Julian Larsson.

It remains to be seen whether Kgaogelo Chauke will be fit to return to the matchday squad. If he is absent once again, then George Evans, JJ McKiernan and Sulyman Krubally could all link arms in midfield.

Tyrese Shade is the top scorer in this season’s FA Cup with five goals in just two games, including a hat-trick in round two against Brackley. He is expected to continue up front alongside either Beesley or Fabio Tavares, who has netted three goals in as many appearances in the competition this term.

As for West Ham, Nuno has revealed that January signing Pablo Felipe is nursing an unspecified injury and will be “out for a while”, while Lukasz Fabianski (back) remains sidelined and defender Jean-Clair Todibo is suspended.

Nuno has also confirmed that goalkeeper Alphonse Areola will start between the sticks, while Max Kilman will be hoping to force his way into the first XI at centre-back ahead of either new signing Axel Disasi or Konstantinos Mavropanos.

In-form Crysencio Summerville has been involved in five goals in his last four appearances in the FA Cup (two goals, three assists), scoring and assisting in the third-round win against QPR last month, and he is poised to continue on the left wing, with either captain Jarrod Bowen or new recruit Adama Traore operating on the opposite flank.

Burton Albion possible starting lineup:

Collins; Godwin-Malife, Sibbick, Hartridge; Lofthouse, Krubally, McKiernan, Evans, Armer; Shade, Beesley

West Ham United possible starting lineup:

Areola; Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Scarles; Magassa, Potts, Kante; Bowen, Wilson, Summerville

We say: Burton Albion 1-3 West Ham United

Burton have been scoring goals for fun in the FA Cup and will back themselves to make the net ripple once again against a West Ham outfit who have kept only one clean sheet in 28 games across all competitions this season.

However, the Hammers will still be regarded as firm favourites to come out on top and should have few problems outscoring their opponents, even if Nuno decides to make multiple changes to his lineup.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.