First Half: West Ham 0-0 Southampton
Teams | Stats | Hammers could move above rivals Spurs; Saints already down
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Commentary by Declan Olley at London Stadium
West Ham 0-0 Southampton
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Here come the teams!
The two sets of players emerge from the London Stadium tunnel, with kick-off to come shortly.
Team news reminder
West Ham: Areola; Coufal, Kilman, Todibo, Emerson; Ward-Prowse, Soler, Paqueta; Bowen, Fullkrug, Kudus.
Subs: Fabianski, Cresswell, Mavropanos, Rodriguez, Guilherme, Soucek, Ferguson, Irving, Scarles.
Southampton: Ramsdale; Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Stephens; Walker-Peters, Fernandes, Ugochukwu, Downes, Manning; Sulemana, Onuachu.
Subs: McCarthy, Bree, Wood, Welington, Smallbone, Aribo, Dibling, Stewart, Archer.
Referee Kitchen takes charge of first PL game
There is a debut at the London Stadium today.
The game will be refereed by Andrew Kitchen, who will be taking charge of a Premier League fixture for the first time in his career.
Pre-match stats and facts...
West Ham have lost just one of their last 12 Premier League games against Southampton (W8 D3), going down 3-2 at home in December 2021.
Southampton have lost 26 of their 32 Premier League matches this season, the most they’ve ever lost in a league campaign in their history. Their current loss percentage of 81% is the highest by any side in a top-flight season in history.
Since Graham Potter’s first Premier League game in charge of West Ham (January 14th), only Southampton (111) and Leicester (112) have attempted fewer shots than the Hammers (114). Indeed, only Leicester (33) have registered fewer shots on target than Potter’s side (34) in the same period.
West Ham are 17th in the Premier League and this is the lowest position in the table they’ll be heading into a game as late as this (33rd game) in a season since the final day of the 2010-11 season, when they were 20th and relegated.
As of the day of this game, Southampton will have spent 170 days bottom of the Premier League this season, their most in a single season. Across their last two seasons, they’ve spent 60% of their time in the Premier League in 20th spot (324 days out of 544, as of 19 April).
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West Ham aiming to move above rivals Spurs...
West Ham are aiming to end a five-game winless run, with boss Graham Potter yet to have lift off in his reign.
Since taking charge in January, only the bottom three – Southampton, Leicester and Ipswich – have picked up fewer points than the Hammers.
A much-needed victory, though, could lift them up to 15th above London rivals Tottenham - and that would put a smile on the faces of Hammers fans.
Can Saints surpass Derby's lowest-ever PL points tally?
Already-relegated Southampton can avoid finishing with the lowest points total in Premier League history with a win atWest Ham.
Just a third league victory of the season for bottom-side Saints at the London Stadium would see them surpass Derby County's lowest-record points tally of 11 set in 2007/08.
But defeat for Saints, who are led by interim boss Simon Rusk, would be the 27th of the season and extend their winless run to 10 games in all competitions.
Potter hoping Ward-Prowse can break Beckham's record
Graham Potter is hoping a bit of "football karma" will help James Ward-Prowse finally move alongside David Beckham as a Premier League record holder.
Ward-Prowse's tally of 17 goals direct from free-kicks is just one shy of Beckham's top-flight record of 18.
Unfortunately, Ward-Prowse has yet to score one for West Ham, with his last successful effort coming for Southampton against Potter's Chelsea side more than two years ago.
The 30-year-old midfielder starts against his former club this afternoon with Hammers boss Potter fancying him to end his drought.
"James will be the first to say it's not about him and the record, although we hope that he can get it," Potter said at his pre-match press conference.
"It would be nice for us if there was a bit of football karma and he gets it on Saturday against Southampton."
Last time out: Defeat for both West Ham and Saints
West Ham and Southampton both suffered defeats last weekend, with the Hammers losing 2-1 at Liverpool while Saints were beaten 3-0 at home by Aston Villa.
PL Predicitions: West Ham to ease past Saints
Sky Sports' tipster Lewis Jones:
Southampton have conceded 2.9 goals per game across their last 14 Premier League, shipping three or more goals on 10 of those occasions. History also tells us when relegation is confirmed the goals continue to flow against that relegated team. Teams that play a Premier League match officially relegated have conceded 2.4 goals per game across the last 25 games.
All West Ham angles are very much live then and Mohamed Kudus to score at 2/1 with Sky Bet jumped out. He has yet to find the net since Graham Potter took over - not without the want of trying having had 22 shots in his 12 starts to an expected goals figure of 2.73, including hitting the crossbar at Anfield last weekend. A goal is coming.
SCORE PREDICTION: 3-0
Premier League Predictions, odds and best bets: More away day woe for cold Chelsea, Liverpool to take step closer to Premier League title
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West Ham change three as Fullkrug starts
West Ham boss Graham Potter has made three changes from last weekend's defeat at Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Striker Niclas Fullkrug is handed just his fourth league start since arriving last summer.
But there is an injury blow for the Hammers, with defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka missing out on the matchday squad entirely after needing an injection in a toe injury.
He is replaced in the starting line-up by Vladimir Coufal, with Emerson Palmieri coming in at left-back as Potter switches to a back four.
Konstantinos Mavropanos and Ollie Scarles both drop to the bench.
Downes returns from suspension to start for Saints
Southampton have made one change from last weekend's home defeat against Aston Villa.
Flynn Downes returns to the starting line-up against his former club after serving a two-match ban for picking up 10 yellow cards.
He replaces the benched Cameron Archer.
An injury boost for Saints, with striker Paul Onuachu passing a late fitness test to start.
West Ham team news - No Wan-Bissaka as Fullkrug starts
West Ham: Areola; Coufal, Kilman, Todibo, Emerson; Ward-Prowse, Soler, Paqueta; Bowen, Fullkrug, Kudus.
Subs: Fabianski, Cresswell, Mavropanos, Rodriguez, Guilherme, Soucek, Ferguson, Irving, Scarles.
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Southampton team news - Downes and Onuachu start
Southampton: Ramsdale; Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Stephens; Walker-Peters, Fernandes, Ugochukwu, Downes, Manning; Sulemana, Onuachu.
Subs: McCarthy, Bree, Wood, Welington, Smallbone, Aribo, Dibling, Stewart, Archer.
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Team news in FIVE minutes!
Team news from the London Stadium will be dropping in just five minutes!
Will West Ham defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka be fit enough to start after a toe injury?
Could Southampton midfielder Flynn Downes face his former club after returning from suspension? And will striker Paul Onuachu pass a late fitness test?
We'll bring the teams to you at 1.45pm...
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Already-relegated Southampton could avoid finishing with the lowest points total in Premier League history with a win at West Ham this afternoon.
Just a third league victory of the season for bottom-side Saints at the London Stadium would see them surpass Derby County's lowest-record points tally of 11 set in 2007/08.
But defeat for Saints, who are led by interim boss Simon Rusk, would be the 27th of the season and extend their winless run to 10 games in all competitions.
Their opponents West Ham are aiming to end a five-game winless run, with boss Graham Potter yet to have lift off.
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Since taking charge in January, only the bottom three – Southampton, Leicester and Ipswich – have picked up fewer points than the Hammers.
A much-needed victory, though, could lift them up to 15th above London rivals Tottenham - and that would put a smile on the faces of Hammers fans.
We'll bring you all the build-up, including the all-important team news at 1.45pm, with kick-off at 3pm.
Stay tuned...