West Ham United's players get a first taste of pre-season action on Tuesday afternoon as they take on Wycombe Wanderers.
Meanwhile, the newly-promoted Championship side head into the contest having recorded victory over Premier League outfit Southampton on Friday.
Match preview
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After an intense run-in at the end of the last campaign, David Moyes showed preference to three weeks of rest over jumping straight into a pre-season schedule.
However, after a training camp spent in Scotland, the Hammers are preparing to get back on the pitch with two fixtures on Tuesday afternoon.
While some players will travel to Portman Road to take on Ipswich Town, a separate group will go up against separate opposition at Adams Park.
Having his players up their match fitness and sharpness is most important to Moyes at this stage, but the current lack of new arrivals has provided his squad with a window of opportunity to impress him ahead of their Premier League opener with Newcastle United on September 12.
With transfer funds potentially tight due to the coronavirus pandemic, Moyes will also want to see which of the club's academy graduates can stake a claim to be in the senior squad on a full-time basis.
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While everyone associated with Wycombe will naturally be excited about their first-ever campaign in the Championship, manager Gareth Ainsworth knows that his squad must put the work in over the coming weeks.
Despite being favourites to suffer an immediate return to League One, Ainsworth and his close-knit group of players may relish the opportunity to play the majority of their games as underdogs.
Such is the setup at Adams Park that Ainsworth is currently going through the process of assessing a wide range of trialists before adding to the signings of Uche Ikpeazu and Giles Phillips.
However, witnessing his side battle their way to a 1-0 success over a youthful Southampton side on Friday will only fill Ainsworth with optimism ahead of a likely stiffer test against their next opponents.
Wycombe Wanderers form (friendlies): W
West Ham United form (friendlies): N/A
Head To Head
Having spent their entire existence competing in different areas of the pyramid, these two clubs have never met in a professional league match.
Their most notable clash came in the 1995 FA Cup, with West Ham progressing through to the fourth round courtesy of a 2-0 scoreline.
As well as two games in the EFL Trophy, a double-header also took place in the Southern League Second Division during 1898-99.
We say: Wycombe Wanderers 1-1 West Ham United
With Wycombe having already surprised Southampton, we have to fancy Ainsworth's side to give West Ham a run for their money on Tuesday afternoon. Nevertheless, despite only having a week of training under their belt, the Hammers should be able to earn at least a share of the spoils.
Darren Plant
