Julen Lopetegui can ill afford to oversee another defeat when his West Ham side take on Brentford in west London on Saturday afternoon.
The Spaniard has endured a nightmarish start to his tenure at the London Stadium, and a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea last weekend meant West Ham had lost their first three home games of the new season for the very first time in the club’s 129-year history.
Their woes only continued in the week as they were battered 5-1 at Anfield in the third-round of the Carabao Cup. In short, Lopetegui is already on thin ice. Maybe it’s the jeans?
A injury-ridden Brentford were beaten at Tottenham last Saturday, but they’ve nonetheless made a positive start to the new season. Thomas Frank’s side, like West Ham, have had a tough schedule to open up 2024/25, but they’ve at least secured two wins from their first five games – both at home.
Saturday’s hosts have lost just once to the Irons in the Premier League, although West Ham did triumph in their most recent meeting back in February.
Here is 90min’s guide to Brentford vs West Ham in the Premier League.
Brentford vs West Ham H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
How to watch Brentford vs West Ham on TV and live stream
Brentford team news
Brentford are set to have Christian Norgaard back in their midfield engine room after the Danish midfielder missed last weekend’s defeat at Spurs. Frank has said he’s “very confident” Norgaard will be back in his starting XI on Saturday.
However, the Dane will likely be the only returner from injury against the Hammers.
Alas, the hosts are still without Yoane Wissa, Igor Thiago, Joshua Dasilva, Mathias Jensen, Rico Henry, and Aaron Hickey.
Kevin Schade could come into the starting XI and partner Bryan Mbeumo up top.
Brentford predicted lineup vs West Ham
Brentford predicted lineup vs West Ham (3-5-2): Flekken; Ajer, Pinnock, Collins; Roerslev, Damsgaard, Norgaard, Janelt, Lewis-Potter; Schade, Mbeumo.
West Ham team news
Niclas Fullkrug remains a doubt with the calf injury he sustained on international duty this month, but the German could at least return to Lopetegui’s matchday squad.
Edson Alvarez is suspended after he picked up two yellow cards at Anfield on Wednesday. The Mexican was curiously used at the heart of West Ham’s defence against Chelsea last weekend.
There will be wholesale changes to Lopetegui’s backline from their Carabao Cup defeat, while Jarrod Bowen could lead the line if Fullkrug isn’t fit to start. Michail Antonio may drop to the bench.
West Ham predicted lineup vs Brentford
West Ham predicted lineup vs Brentford (4-2-3-1): Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson; Rodriguez, Soucek; Kudus, Paqueta, Summerville; Bowen
Brentford vs West Ham score prediction
This is a horrible fixture for West Ham, who have lost all their Premier League encounters at the Gtech Community Stadium. It’s never an easy place to visit, especially for teams low on confidence.
There’s just so much wrong with the Hammers at the moment. They’re utterly woeful out of possession, and the counter-attacking brilliance we often saw while David Moyes was at the helm has completely dissipated. Lopetegui needs to rethink.
Brentford may be without several players, but the return of Norgaard to their midfield is huge. They were overwhelmed in the middle of the park at Spurs last weekend, but that won’t be the case on Saturday. The hosts are tactically shrewd and more than capable of exploiting the gaping voids that have been present in West Ham’s defensive structure.
Expect the Bees to inflict more misery upon the new Hammers boss.