West Ham United vs Brentford

London Stadium forms the backdrop for an all-London Premier League showdown between West Ham United and Brentford.

West Ham’s disheartening start to 2024 hit a new low last weekend as a dismal 2-0 loss at Nottingham Forest condemned them to their worst league run at the beginning of a new calendar year since 2007. Winless in all six Premier League matches in 2024 (D3, L3), the Hammers face an uphill task to secure a European finish, having been demoted to tenth in the standings. But with seventh-placed Brighton still within striking distance, there’s still plenty of time for David Moyes’ charges to haul back a three-point deficit, though playing Brentford in a crisis hardly bodes well. Not only did West Ham lose November’s reverse fixture 3-2, but they’ve yet to put a point on the board when taking on this opposition in the Premier League (L5).

On the other hand, Brentford’s dominant H2H record in the top flight is perhaps the only positive ahead of this travel. They’ve lost four of their last five league outings (W1), including a 1-0 midweek defeat at Manchester City. With only five points separating them from the bottom three, the Bees are at risk of being sucked into a relegation scrap down the final stretch unless manager Thomas Frank can get them back on track. It’s hard to expect Brentford to embark on a revival away from home, considering their dreadful 67% lose ratio in Premier League road fixtures this term (W3, D1, L8). Furthermore, they’ve suffered defeats across their last three Premier League London derbies, casting further doubt on their hopes of upholding a flawless H2H top-flight record.