The Football Faithful
·4 March 2026
Fulham vs West Ham United – Match preview and team news

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Yahoo sportsThe Football Faithful
·4 March 2026

Fulham return to Craven Cottage on Wednesday evening, looking to maintain their European charge against a West Ham United side desperate to escape the relegation zone.
The Cottagers enter this midweek London derby in exceptional form, having won three consecutive matches across all competitions, including a superb 2–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend. That result, inspired by first-half goals from Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi, propelled Fulham into ninth place and completed their first top-flight double over Spurs in 22 years. Silva’s side now has the opportunity to record just their second-ever Premier League season sweep of West Ham, having secured a 1–0 victory at the London Stadium in late December.
West Ham United, meanwhile, travel across the capital, currently sitting in 18th place, two points adrift of safety after a heavy 5–2 defeat at Liverpool on Saturday. Despite the scoreline, Nuno Espírito Santo’s men showed resilience in the second half with goals from Tomáš Souček and Valentín Castellanos. The Hammers know that a victory tonight could lift them out of the drop zone, depending on Nottingham Forest’s result at Manchester City. However, the visitors must overcome a wretched record in city derbies this season, having lost seven of their eight Premier League London matches.
Marco Silva is sweating over the fitness of star winger Harry Wilson, who was withdrawn on Sunday with a twisted ankle. Wilson has been fundamental this season, recording 15 goal involvements (9 goals, 6 assists). Brazilian winger Kevin is definitely out as he recovers from foot surgery. In better news, defender Joachim Andersen is back after missing the Spurs win through illness, and midfielder Saša Lukić could return following a hamstring injury.
Nuno Espírito Santo has a nearly full squad at his disposal, reporting no fresh injury concerns after the trip to Anfield. Forward Pablo Felipe remains sidelined with a calf injury, though he has begun an individual training program. Midfielder Freddie Potts serves the final game of his three-match suspension. Mateus Fernandes, Soungoutou Magassa, and Tomáš Souček are expected to anchor the engine room in his absence.
The West Londoners have hit their stride in 2026, winning five of their last seven home matches across all competitions. Most recently, they dispatched Spurs 2–1 and Sunderland 3–1, showing clinical efficiency in early kick-offs. Notably, Fulham have won seven of their last 10 home evening Premier League games starting at 7pm or later. While they showed some late vulnerability against Tottenham by dropping deep too early, their defensive organisation has generally improved under Silva.
The Hammers have shown signs of improvement recently, picking up 11 points from their last seven Premier League outings—seven more than they managed in the previous 10. Prior to the Liverpool defeat, they were on a three-game unbeaten run in the league (W1, D2), including draws against Manchester United and Bournemouth. Notably, West Ham have been defensively frail on the road, having already conceded 54 league goals this term; only Burnley (56) have shipped more.
Fulham Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon; Berge, Iwobi; Chukwueze, Smith Rowe, Bobb; Jimenez
West Ham United Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Disasi, Diouf; Bowen, Magassa, Soucek, Summerville; Fernandes; Castellanos
The match will be televised live in the UK on TNT Sports. Coverage typically begins at 19:00 GMT.









































