Fulham vs West Ham: Prediction and Preview

We anticipate another London derby for David Moyes’ team with our preview and prediction of Fulham vs. West Ham. Who in the capital will be able to brag?

West Ham vs. Fulham Statistics: The Key Takeaways
At Craven Cottage, an even Premier League match is anticipated; in 36.5% of simulations, the Opta supercomputer predicted a Fulham victory and in 34.3%, a West Ham victory.

However, after defeating Chelsea 2-1 in January of last year, Fulham has lost all 11 of their Premier League London derbies (D4 L7).
Only Robin van Persie has ever experienced a longer run of consecutive Premier League away goals than Jarrod Bowen of West Ham.

Match Preview

West Ham United will be looking for back-to-back London derby victories to keep the pressure on the top six in the Premier League when they visit Fulham at Craven Cottage. Sunday’s game is a renewal of rivalries in the capital after impressive results for both in midweek.

Fulham responded to a thrilling but agonising 4-3 defeat at Liverpool last weekend with a 5-0 hammering of struggling Nottingham Forest at Craven Cottage on Wednesday. Alex Iwobi’s first Premier League brace on his 234th appearance in the competition, as well as a double for Raúl Jiménez – who has scored three goals in his last four top-flight appearances, the same amount as he managed in his previous 47 – and a strike from captain Tom Cairney, was enough to down Steve Cooper’s out-of-form side.

That victory moved Marco Silva’s side up to 12th in the league table, just a point behind neighbouring rivals Brentford and Chelsea heading into Matchday 16, after Fulham recorded their biggest top-flight win since August 2012 – also a 5-0 win over Norwich City.

The Cottagers must improve their derby record, though, as they are without a win in their last 11 London derbies in the Premier League (D4 L7) since a 2-1 win over Chelsea in January last season. At home, they have lost five of their last six league games against fellow clubs from the capital (D1), failing to score in each such defeat.

West Ham fell behind to Cristian Romero’s early opener on Thursday but battled back to a 2-1 away victory over Tottenham Hotspur as Jarrod Bowen levelled proceedings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before James Ward-Prowse’s 74th-minute winner. Bowen, who did not manage a goal away from London Stadium in the league last season, has now scored in each of his last seven Premier League away games. Only former Arsenal striker Robin van Persie can better that run in the competition’s history, scoring in nine consecutive away games between January and May 2011.

Bowen will be out to make it eight in a row at Craven Cottage as West Ham, who are ninth in the table heading into MD 16, aim to chase down Brighton, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Tottenham – the latter in fifth but just three points clear of Moyes’ men.

As for team news, Silva has little in the way of injury worries to consider for Sunday’s lineup, with the fitness of Adama Traoré, Issa Diop and Rodrigo Muniz all being assessed in training before kick-off at Craven Cottage. Fulham can at least call upon Jiménez, who has four goals in his last five league starts against West Ham – only against Everton and Southampton (both five) has the Mexican managed more in the competition.

Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola missed the trip to Tottenham with a wrist injury but should return to the West Ham lineup for Sunday’s kick-off, while Michail Antonio remains absent with a knee issue as the visitors look to extend their four-game unbeaten Premier League run.

Fulham vs West Ham Head-to-Head

West Ham will be aiming to secure local bragging rights against Fulham, who have lost five of their last six Premier League games against the Hammers (D1) dating back to a 2-1 win on New Year’s Day in 2014.

Indeed, West Ham have won 16 Premier League matches against Fulham – they have only beaten Southampton (20) and Tottenham more often in the competition.

In fact, West Ham has defeated Fulham in 16 Premier League games; in contrast, they have only triumphed over Southampton (20) and Tottenham more frequently overall.

As a manager at Everton, Manchester United, and West Ham, David Moyes has not lost in 13 Premier League encounters with Fulham, so he too relishes taking on the Craven Cottage team. He has only had longer league undefeated streaks against Aston Villa (14 – 2011 to 2023) and Sunderland (15 – 2002 to 2012).

Has he experienced longer league winning streaks?

Last season, Moyes’ team won 3-1 at London Stadium as Bowen, the now-deceased Gianluca Scamacca, and Antonio overturned Andreas Pereira’s opening goal. In April, Harrison Reed’s own goal helped West Ham win 1-0 at Craven Cottage.