Match Preview: Stoke City v West Ham
West Ham’s four game winning streak came to an end at Goodison Park a couple of weeks back so the Hammers will be looking to get back on track at the Britannia on Saturday.
It seems like an age since West Ham last played and hopefully the players have put the defeat at Goodison Park to the back of their minds and focus on the performances they put in during our five game unbeaten run which came before it.
The Britannia Stadium has been a happy hunting ground for West Ham and Sam Allardyce will be hoping it stays that way on Saturday. The Hammers have emerged victorious in four of the six league games that they have played at the ground, including a 1-0 triumph last season.
Despite West Ham’s decent record at the Britannia, Allardyce does not anticipate an easy ride as his resurgent team seek a fifth win in six Premier League outings.
Allardyce has reason to be cautious, Stoke have an impressive record at the Britannia this term, losing only twice in the league and beating Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal at home already this season.
“It’s a real tough game for us because their home form has been very, very good, as it was under Tony Pulis, said West Ham boss Allardyce.
“I think they’re fifth in the table in terms of home form (Stoke actually have the joint-sixth best record), only losing two, so it shows what a tough game it’s going to be on Saturday.
“I remember us having a fantastic result there last year, a 1-0 win with Jack Collison scoring.
“We go in good form, even though we lost to Everton. We go with a lot of confidence and we’ve got to make sure we convert that confidence into a very good performance.”
Verdict: Stoke have drawn 10 times already this season and could well add to that tally against a West Ham team that are proving hard to beat.
Team News:
Stoke City (12th, 31 points)
- Jonathan Walters joins Charlie Adam on the suspended list after being sent off in the draw at Norwich last week.
- Huth and Assaidi remain out through injury.
- Stephen Ireland is likely to come into the midfield.
West Ham United (10th, 31 points)
- West Ham are only without Joey O’Brien and Marco Borriello.
- Carlton Cole started at Everton but he is unlikely to retain his starting spot for this game having been withdrawn after only 29 minutes at Goodison Park.
- Winston Reid is also pushing for a return to the starting XI.
Likely Lineups:
Match Facts:
- There have been under 2.5 goals scored in Stoke’s last 4 games in the Premier League.
- There have been under 2.5 goals scored in West Ham’s last 4 away games in the Premier League.
- Stoke have seen under 2.5 goals in their last 3 matches against West Ham in all competitions.
- Stoke are undefeated in 10 of their last 11 home matches in the Premier League.
WHUFCTV.com prediction:
Stoke 1 – 1 West Ham
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