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

Looking to secure consecutive London derby victories at Craven Cottage, Fulham host West Ham United in Wednesday’s Premier League clash.

Marco Silva’s men enter into this encounter on the back of a 2–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, a day after the Hammers suffered a 5–2 thrashing at Liverpool.

Match preview

After kicking off February with three straight defeats - all in the league - Fulham appear to have found their rhythm, winning three consecutive games, starting with victory at Stoke City to secure a place in the FA Cup fifth round.

That was followed by a second-half-inspired win at Sunderland, but the Cottagers burst out of the blocks against Tottenham on Sunday, with Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi firing them into a 2–0 lead before the interval, leaving Richarlison’s 66th-minute effort little more than a consolation.

The result saw Fulham move up a spot to ninth in the Premier League table and within five points of a faltering Chelsea in sixth, while it also saw the East Londoners record their first top-flight double over Spurs in 22 years.

A similar opportunity now presents itself on Wednesday, as the Cottagers bid to complete just their second Premier League season sweep of West Ham - previously achieving the feat in 2023–24 - having edged a late winner at the London Stadium in December.

Winning five of their last seven home matches across all competitions should hand Fulham plenty of belief, particularly having scored multiple goals in five matches during that period, providing a further boost against defensively frail opposition.

Indeed, only Burnley (56) have conceded more times in the Premier League campaign than West Ham’s 54, with those defensive frailties again exposed on Saturday at Anfield, where the Hammers’ vulnerability from dead balls was laid bare.

Level with Bournemouth on 16 goals shipped from set-piece situations (excluding penalties), Nuno Espirito Santo’s men were undone by three first-half corner routines from Liverpool, proving an insurmountable margin despite a much-improved display after the interval that saw strikes from Tomas Soucek and Taty Castellanos.

The defeat ended West Ham’s three-game unbeaten run in the league (W1, D2) - and four across all competitions, including their FA Cup penalty triumph over Burton Albion - following a win against Burnley and draws with a rejuvenated Manchester United and Bournemouth in the previous top-flight fixtures.

Putting recent results into perspective, the West London outfit have actually shown signs of improvement, picking up 11 points from their last seven Premier League outings, seven more than they managed across the previous 10, where they failed to win a single game.

Despite this marginal upturn, the Hammers remain rooted in the relegation zone, sitting 17th and two points adrift of 16th-placed Nottingham Forest, who face an uphill task at title-chasing Manchester City on Wednesday, meaning a favourable result there, combined with a win at the Cottage, would lift West Ham out of the drop zone.

However, a wretched record against fellow London rivals leaves room for concern, as the visitors have lost seven of their eight Premier League city derbies this season (W1), with only three sides suffering more such defeats in a single campaign.

Fulham Premier League form:

Fulham form (all competitions):

West Ham United Premier League form:

West Ham United form (all competitions):

Team News

Fulham’s victory over Tottenham did not come without sacrifice, as Wilson was withdrawn in the second half with a twisted ankle, and if unfit before Wednesday’s London derby, Samuel Chukwueze is likely to start on the right flank of attack.

This marks consecutive matches in which the Cottagers have suffered injury casualties, following winger Kevin’s foot injury against Sunderland, which will require surgery and could sideline him for weeks.

Meanwhile, centre-back Joachim Andersen - absent last time out due to illness - and Serbia midfielder Sasa Lukic, who has been sidelined since mid-January with a hamstring issue, could both return on Wednesday.

West Ham appear to have no new injury concerns following their previous outing, meaning January signing Pablo (calf) and backup goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (back), perhaps, remain the only players in the treatment room.

Central midfielder Freddie Potts will serve the final game of a three-match ban, so Soucek, Soungoutou Magassa and Mateus Fernandes could once again form the Hammers’ engine room.

Fulham possible starting lineup:

Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon; Berge, Iwobi; Chukwueze, Smith Rowe, Bobb; Jimenez

West Ham United possible starting lineup:

Hermansen; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Disasi, Diouf; Bowen, Magassa, Soucek, Summerville; Fernandes; Castellanos

We say: Fulham 2-1 West Ham United

West Ham’s only defeats in their last seven league matches came against heavyweights Chelsea and Liverpool, so the Hammers will fancy their chances of a positive result here.

However, their poor record in London derbies and defensive frailties could prove costly against a free-scoring Fulham side at the Cottage, giving the hosts the edge as they look to strengthen a rare continental challenge.

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