PREVIEW: West Ham aim to build in relegation six pointer at home to Burnley | OneFootball

The London Stadium will hold host to a game between two sides in the bottom four on Saturday afternoon, with hosts West Ham looking to climb out of the relegation zone while Burnley will be wary of dropping into it.

After a dismal run of six games games without a win which included five defeats, the Hammers looked like a side reborn as they demolished Newcastle United at the London Stadium last weekend in what was their first win at home in nine months. Lucas Paquetá’s stunning equaliser levelled things up after the Magpies had taken the lead, before an own-goal from Sven Botman and a late Tomáš Souček goal sparked rarely seen celebrations amongst the home supporters. The fans still protested the club’s ownership as the full-time whistle blew, but there was a sense of relief around the ground as Nuno’s side rose to 18th, just one place and three points below Saturday’s opponents.

West Ham’s performance against Newcastle looked a potential turning point in their season and they will fancy their chances against Burnley. The Hammers are unbeaten in their previous six Premier League match-ups against the Clarets, winning three and drawing three. They haven’t lost against their upcoming visitors since a 1-0 defeat in 2020.

Burnley can also be confident going into the game. Despite a 2-0 defeat at home to Arsenal last week, they had been boosted by back-to-back wins against Leeds and Wolves which helped them create a three-point gap from the bottom three. Burnley performed admirably against an impenetrable Arsenal in what was another pleasing performance for manager Scott Parker.

The Clarets have prioritised being hard to beat this season; the same formula as in the Championship that saw them win promotion with just 16 goals conceded in the league last season. It’s less pretty at the other end, though, as Burnley have had the fewest shots in the league so far and the lowest average shots per game since 1997-98.

West Ham will continue to be without striker Niclas Füllkrugand defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, who are aiming to be fit for after the international break. Oliver Scarles, George Earthy and Łukasz Fabiański are all still out. Youngster Freddie Potts put on a man-of-the-match performance against Newcastle last Sunday and will likely retain his place in the centre of the Hammers’ midfield. Callum Wilson has put in some good performances since his introduction to the squad and is expected to lead the line.

Burnley are without Jordan Beyer, Connor Roberts and Zeki Amdouni who are confined to the treatment room but defender Hjalmar Ekdal should be fit after sustaining a black eye against the Gunners. Jaidon Anthony has been brilliant for Burnley this season and will likely play alongside Zian Flemming who scored twice in the side’s last victory away at Wolves.

The game will not be broadcast live in the UK as a result of the 15:00 BST blackout.

Predicted line-ups

WHU: Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Diouf; Potts, Fernandes; Bowen, Paquetá, Summerville; Wilson

BUR: Dúbravka; Walker, Tuanzebe, Estève, Hartman; Ugochukwu, Florentino, Cullen; Tchaouna, Flemming, Anthony