Brentford vs West Ham United

Gtech Community Stadium is the venue as Brentford and West Ham United go head-to-head in an all-London Premier League showdown.

A first-minute opener from Bryan Mbeumo proved insufficient as Brentford slipped to a 3-1 loss at Tottenham last weekend, sliding to the bottom half of the Premier League table. Manager Thomas Frank has yet to find a solution for his side’s growing defensive woes, with the Bees failing to keep a clean sheet in all six competitive matches this term. Perhaps the impending return to the Gtech Community Stadium, where they’ve picked up all six Premier League points against lower-ranked opposition, could help Brentford return to winning ways. But considering they’ve only won two of their last 16 home league encounters against sides to have avoided the drop in 2023/24, the out-of-form hosts cannot take anything for granted (D7, L7).

In the meantime, problems keep piling up for West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui after his side threw away an early lead in a humiliating 5-1 defeat at Liverpool in midweek EFL Cup action. With the pressure mounting on the Spanish manager, the Irons return to their Premier League duties, looking to defy an underwhelming five-game start (W1, D1, L3) and arrest a three-match winless league run (D1, L2). On a rare positive note, Lopetegui’s men have yet to lose a top-flight fixture on the road this term (W1, D1), inspiring confidence ahead of this historically unpleasant road trip. Indeed, West Ham have lost all three previous away matches against Brentford in the Premier League, conceding at least two goals on each occasion.