West Ham United will be bidding to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they welcome Crystal Palace to the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Hammers are currently 13th in the table, having picked up 14 points from their opening 13 matches of the season, while Palace occupy 10th, boasting 16 points from their 12 matches this term.
Match preview
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West Ham have undoubtedly overachieved in their last two Premier League seasons, finishing sixth and seventh respectively, and it has been a testing start to this campaign for the Hammers.
Indeed, a record of four wins, two draws and seven defeats from 13 matches has seen them collect just 14 points, which is only enough for 13th spot, just two points above the relegation zone.
Not too many expected David Moyes's side to challenge for a top-four spot this term, but they are already 10 points off the Champions League spots and are seemingly instead battling for a top-half position, which would not be a disaster if they were to enjoy success in the Europa Conference League.
West Ham suffered a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United in the league last weekend, but they will enter this match off the back of a 3-0 success over FCSB in Europe, which saw them top Group B in the Europa Conference League with 18 points, allowing them to progress into the next round.
Moyes's side have scored just 11 times in the league this season, which is a concern, with only Nottingham Forest (eight) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (six) finding the back of the net on fewer occasions, and they will be aware of the threat that Palace could provide on Sunday.
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A record of four wins, four draws and four defeats from 12 matches has seen Palace collect 16 points, which has left them in 10th position in the table, level on points with Liverpool in ninth.
The Eagles will also enter this weekend's match in strong form, having lost just one of their last five in the league, recording three wins in the process, including a 1-0 success over Southampton last weekend.
Odsonne Edouard's first-half effort was enough to overcome the Saints, but Palace are yet to triumph away from home in the league this season, drawing three and losing two of their five games on their travels.
Patrick Vieira's side have three more games before the season breaks for the World Cup, following this match with a trip to Newcastle United in the EFL Cup before visiting Nottingham Forest in the league next weekend, and two strong positive results could potentially leave them in and around the top seven.
Palace have not overcome West Ham in the league since December 2019 and suffered a 3-2 loss in their last clash earlier this year, but they did pick up a point in a 2-2 draw at the London Stadium last term.
Team News
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West Ham boss Moyes said during his pre-match press conference that Lucas Paqueta has been back in training following a shoulder problem and should be able to return to the squad.
However, Maxwel Cornet and Lukasz Fabianski remain doubts for the Hammers due to calf and knee injuries respectively.
There will be wholesale changes to the side that took to the field for the first whistle against FCSB, with Declan Rice, Aaron Cresswell, Jarrod Bowen and Gianluca Scamacca among those in line to return.
Flynn Downes might be the only outfield player to keep his spot from Thursday, although Pablo Fornals's brace in the fixture has put him in contention for a start here.
As for Palace, Vieira said during his press conference that both Edouard and Cheick Doucoure trained on Friday afternoon following fitness problems, but the duo would still need to be assessed ahead of kickoff.
James McArthur and Chris Richards, meanwhile, are definitely out of the match through injury.
If Edouard is not deemed fit enough to start on Sunday then Wilfried Zaha could operate through the middle, with Michael Olise and Jordan Ayew in the wide positions.
Doucoure, meanwhile, is pushing to replace Luka Milivojevic in the middle of midfield.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Areola; Kehrer, Dawson, Zouma, Cresswell; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Downes, Benrahma; Scamacca
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Guaita; Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Schlupp, Doucoure, Eze; Ayew, Zaha, Olise
We say: West Ham United 1-1 Crystal Palace
West Ham will be desperate to return to winning ways after the disappointment of the defeat to Man United, but Palace could prove to be a tough nut to crack, and we are backing the Eagles, who are only three points off seventh-placed Fulham, to claim a point in the capital on Sunday afternoon.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
