Brentford v West Ham United
Emirates FA Cup third round, Gtech Community Stadium, Saturday 7 January 2023, 5.30pm GMT
West Ham United take on Brentford for the second time in eight days on Saturday - this time with progress in the FA Cup on the line.
With the unhappy memories of a 2-0 home Premier League defeat against the Bees, which closed 2022, in their minds, the Hammers will be keen to avenge that result when they make the relatively short journey to west London.
David Moyes' men reached the fifth round of this competition last season, defeating Leeds United and Kidderminster Harriers, before Southampton ended our run at St Mary's Stadium.
Brentford, meanwhile, were eliminated in the fourth round by eventual quarter-finalists Everton, but will be hoping their fine Premier League form this time around leads to greater things.
They have reached the quarter-finals themselves on four occasions, the last time being as a third tier side in 1988/89, when Liverpool brought their dreams to an end with a 4-0 Anfield victory.
West Ham, of course, are three-time FA Cup winners, lifting the famous trophy in 1964, 1975 and 1980.
Moyes will know his team will have to be at their best to overcome the challenge of the Bees and keep their hopes of adding a fourth win alive, with Brentford having beaten Liverpool and the Hammers and drawn with Tottenham Hotspur since the World Cup break ended.
Tickets...
Our allocation of 2,492 tickets for this match sold out to Bondholders and Season Ticket Holders with 34+ Loyalty Points.
Travel...
Brentford Community Stadium is usually well served by public transport, with a number of railway and Underground stations within walking distance.
Getting to the game should be fine, but getting back into central London afterwards may prove more problematic.
The nearest station is Kew Bridge, which is in Zone 3 on the South Western Railway line from London Waterloo and Clapham Junction. However, industrial action means there will be a severely restricted service on Saturday, and trains will stop running by 6.30pm, so you can't catch one back unless you leave at half-time...
An alternative route is via Gunnersbury, which is a ten-minute walk east of the stadium and is served by the London Underground District line and London Overground. However, London Overground services and District line trains linking Turnham Green with Gunnersbury and Kew Gardens will also stop running by 6.30pm.
There are other nearby London Underground stations within a 20-minute walk - Chiswick Park (District line), Acton Town (District and Piccadilly lines) and South Ealing (Piccadilly line).
Click here for the latest from Transport for London and here for news on National Rail services.
Click here for our full Over Land and Sea away supporters' guide.
How to Follow...
Saturday's game will not be broadcast live on television in the UK, but will be shown across the world by the FA's international broadcast partners.
You can listen to commentary on BBC Radio London 94.9FM and worldwide on whufc.com and our official app.
You can also follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle.
Team News...
David Moyes has been without winger Maxwel Cornet since the Ivory Coast international was injured in the home Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on 1 October.
France centre-back Kurt Zouma had knee surgery during the FIFA World Cup break.
Brentford will welcome back Norway centre-back Kristoffer Ajer from a knee problem, but striker Ivan Toney is expected to miss the game with the muscle injury he suffered at London Stadium on 30 December.
Scotland full-back Aaron Hickey is hopeful of being available after recovering from a lower-leg injury.
Match Details...
Replays make their return to the FA Cup third and fourth rounds for the 2022/23 season, meaning should the game end all-square after 90 minutes at Gtech Community Stadium, a replay in east London would be required. This would provisionally take place at London Stadium on Tuesday 17 January, with kick-off at 7.45pm.
For Saturday's tie, each team will be able to use five substitutes from the nine named on the bench. These can be made on three occasions during the game, excluding half-time.
The Video Assistant Referee will be in operation for this tie.
The winners of each third round tie will receive £100,000 from the FA Cup prize fund.
Opposition...
West Ham and Brentford are well acquainted, having only met in the Premier League at London Stadium a little over a week ago.
Hammers fans, of course, will need no reminding that the Bees triumphed 2-0 on that occasion thanks to first-half goals from Ivan Toney and Josh Dasilva.
Thomas Frank's men have returned from the World Cup break in fine fashion, drawing 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur before that win over the Hammers. They followed that with a memorable 3-1 success against Liverpool on Monday.
Just like last season, when they finished 13th, Brentford are making light work of the jump to the Premier League this term, and their impressive top-flight return after a 64-year absence is just the continuation of an impressive rise that began just ten years ago.
When you take a step back and realise promotion from EFL League One came less than a decade ago, their rise through the English football pyramid has been nothing short of remarkable. The club followed promotion under current West Ham assistant coach Mark Warburton in 2013 with seven Championship campaigns, where the Bees never finished lower than eleventh.
And, having narrowly missed out in the previous season via a Play-Off final defeat by Fulham in 2020, Brentford were promoted to the top flight a year later. A Wembley win over Swansea City fired them to the Premier League for the first time and they have hardly looked back since.
Last season, a 13th-placed finish – with 13 wins – saw Brentford impress many in their debut Premier League campaign. And halfway through the 2022/23 season, it has been more of the same, as the Bees currently sit ninth in the table. They also beat both Manchester sides by an aggregate score of 6-1 before the turn of the year.
Despite losing Christian Eriksen to Manchester United in the summer, Brentford have taken another step forward this year and look well placed to record their best league finish since the Second World War.
Previous Meetings...
The Hammers and the Bees have met just once in the FA Cup previously, way back in the 1926/27 season. Following a 1-1 draw in the fourth round tie at the Boleyn Ground, in which Jimmy Ruffell scored, Brentford triumphed 2-0 at Griffin Park.
Since their promotion to the top flight in 2021, Brentford have won all three of the Premier League meetings between the clubs since, and prior to those the most-recent meetings came back in the 1992/93 season, when both clubs were in the old First Division (now the Championship).
West Ham were promoted that season, having drawn 0-0 at Brentford's old Griffin Park stadium before thrashing the Bees 4-0 at the Boleyn Ground, where Martin Allen, Peter Butler, Trevor Morley and Kevin Keen got the goals for Billy Bonds' Hammers.
Brentford lead the overall head-to-head standings, having won ten of the 25 historic meetings. West Ham have won seven.
Match Officials...
Referee: Andre Marriner
Assistant Referees: Simon Long and Scott Ledger
Fourth Official: Jarred Gillet
VAR: Robert Jones
Assistant VAR: Timothy Wood
Affiliated to the Birmingham County FA, Andre Marriner began refereeing at the age of 21 in 1992, progressing through the Birmingham Amateur Football League and the Southern Football League to become a Football League assistant referee in 2000.
Marriner was appointed to the Football League list of referees in 2003, before making his Premier League debut in November of the following year, in Charlton Athletic’s 4-0 win over Norwich City at The Valley.
Marriner, who turned 52 on New Year’s Day, was added to the Select Group of professional referees in 2005, and FIFA’s list of international officials in 2009.
Marriner has refereed a host of high-profile fixtures, including the 2010 Championship Play-Off final between Blackpool and Cardiff City and the 2013 FA Cup final.
He was also the man with the whistle for Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Southampton in the 2017 EFL Cup final and the 2021 FA Community Shield, in which Arsenal edged out Liverpool on penalties.
He has refereed West Ham United on 42 occasions previously, with the most recent also being our most recent FA Cup tie - a 3-1 loss to Southampton last March.
Marriner’s first Irons appointment was back on Boxing Day 2004, when he officiated the 3-2 home win over Nottingham Forest in the Championship.
