West Ham United v Fulham
Premier League, London Stadium, Sunday 9 October 2022, 2pm BST
West Ham United return to Premier League action after securing a midweek European win in Belgium by welcoming Fulham to London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Hammers are seeking a third victory and clean sheet in the space of eight days after defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 on home turf last weekend and RSC Anderlecht 1-0 in Brussels in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday evening.
Those successes took David Moyes' side out of the bottom three in the Premier League and five points clear at the top of Group B in Europe respectively.
Fulham, meanwhile, have made a good start on their latest return to the top-flight, winning three and drawing two of their opening eight matches to go into the weekend in eighth place.
Tickets...
Make sure you don't miss out on a ticket for this sold-out fixture, as seats are available to buy or relist on the Ticket Exchange!
Supporters can purchase their seats on the Ticket Exchange, while Season Ticket holders who cannot make this match can also relist their seat, allowing fellow fans the chance to be at a London derby and fill London Stadium with the Claret and Blue Army.
Season Ticket Holders who relist on the Ticket Exchange will earn Club Cash to redeem against club products, including their Season Ticket renewal, when their seat sells.
How to Follow...
Sunday's game will NOT be broadcast live in the UK, but it will be shown on TV across the world by the Premier League's international broadcast partners. You can listen to live radio commentary in the UK on BBC Radio 5 Live.
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.
Travel...
Thankfully, there is no rail strike on Sunday, so mainline and Elizabeth line train services will be running. However, there is a strike on Saturday, so early-morning services on Sunday may be affected, and there is a lot of engineering works going on...
There will be no London Overground service on Sunday between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction, or between Stratford and Gospel Oak, with replacement busses in operation.
Supporters are advised to check their journeys before travel, with resources such as TfL's Journey Planner or the TfL Go app helping to plan your journey.
Greater Anglia services between Ingatestone and Colchester, including the Braintree branch, will be replaced by busses.
c2c services on the Basildon and Ockendon lines will both be disrupted by engineering works. Between Fenchurch Street and Barking, services will be diverted to Liverpool Street and will call additionally at Stratford but will not call at Limehouse or West Ham.
Due to points work at Upminster, the line between Barking and Pitsea via Laindon will be closed. These services will be diverted via an alternative route between Barking and Pitsea. Rail replacement busses will be in operation between Upminster and Pitsea via Laindon.
The line between Barking and Grays via Ockendon will also be closed. These services will be diverted via an alternative route between Barking and Grays.
There will be ticket acceptance on District Line services between Upminster and Barking and Jubilee Line services between Stratford and West Ham for passengers with a valid ticket, and DLR ticket acceptance between Limehouse and Stratford via Poplar and Limehouse and Tower Gateway.
Matchday Information...
West Ham United Season Ticket Holders attending Sunday’s Premier League fixture at London Stadium are reminded that they will need to download their NFC (Near-Field Communication) Season Tickets to their mobile phone ahead of the game.
For the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, all Hammers Season Ticket Holders will gain entry to London Stadium via their NFC Season Ticket – an efficient and convenient solution on matchdays, which is being rolled out across the Premier League, whereby supporters can simply tap their way into the ground via their NFC-enabled mobile phone device.
To download your ticket direct to your mobile phone, view our step-by-step guide by clicking here.
Official Programme...
West Ham United's 116-page Official Programme for Sunday's Premier League fixture with Fulham is on sale now.
With London Stadium set to host another capacity 62,500 crowd, we have produced a bumper issue crammed full of exclusive interviews and exciting content for fans of all ages, complete with a double-sided A3 poster.
Cover star Alphonse Areola reflects on his journey from playing junior football in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower to parading the FIFA World Cup down the Champs-Élysées, the strong family values that give him strength and the prospect of facing his former club.
The Irons' Official Programme is available to order online now for just £4, plus £1.49 postage and packaging*.
Team News...
David Moyes has a near fully-fit squad to pick from for Sunday's game, with only two potential absentees.
Maxwel Cornet suffered a lower-leg injury in last Saturday's 2-0 home win over Wolves, while Morocco defender Nayef Aguerd has stepped up his fitness work as he recovers from an ankle injury, but he is not yet ready to return to action.
For Fulham, Serbia centre-forward Aleksandar Mitrović was taken off with an ankle injury in last weekend's home defeat by Newcastle United. Midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah was sent-off in the same game and will miss the trip to London Stadium through suspension.
Combative Portugal midfielder João Palhinha is also suspended after being booked five times in the opening eight Premier League matches, while Harry Wilson (knee), Willian (calf) and Manor Solomon (knee) are also likely to miss the game.
Opposition...
Fulham will hope it is third time lucky after their last two Premier League campaigns ended with a swift return to the Championship.
Owner Shahid Khan’s NFL franchise, the Jacksonville Jaguars, have started the new season strongly, and the early signs are also good for his Association Football club.
Consecutive seasons in the top-flight will be the aim for American businessman Khan, who brought Fulham in 2013 and, in nine years since, has suffered three relegations and enjoyed three promotions.
After winning promotion in 2018, Fulham spent north of £100m, but went straight back down. After coming up in 2020, the Whites went hard in the loan market, but went straight back down.
This time around, Khan has adopted a more reserved approach when it comes to recruitment, appearing to go for quality rather than quantity.
After guiding Fulham to the EFL Championship title in his first season at Craven Cottage, Marco Silva spent the summer keeping hold of his best players, and adding proven Premier League quality to play alongside them.
Of course, holding onto Aleksandar Mitrović was task one this summer, after the Serbia striker plundered 43 Championship goals last term.
Khan and Silva managed that, then added centre-backs Issa Diop and Shane Duffy from West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively, former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno, ex-Manchester United playmaker Andreas Pereira, former Chelsea and Brazil midfielder Willian and Paris Saint-Germain’s France full-back Layvin Kurzawa.
After amassing just 54 points in their previous two Premier League seasons combined, Fulham have collected eleven already, drawing with Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers before defeating Brentford, Brighton and Nottingham Forest.
Silva’s side have scored in seven of their eight matches, netting 13 in total, with Mitrović notching six of them.
While there is a long way to go, and a 4-1 home defeat by Newcastle United last weekend was a reality check, there is enough quality and experience in the Fulham squad to have Cottagers supporters feeling optimistic that they could re-establish themselves as Premier League regulars.
Fulham remained in the top-flight for 13 years after being first promoted in 2001, thriving under the likes of Jean Tigana, Chris Coleman and Roy Hodgson, who also led the west Londoners to the UEFA Europa League final in 2010.
While a repeat of that achievement will likely be beyond Silva, he has certainly made an encouraging start.
Previous Meetings...
West Ham United and Fulham meet in the Premier League for the 25th time on Sunday.
The Irons have had the best of things by far down the years, winning 14 of the 24 meetings, while the Whites have won just four, with six draws.
The most recent Premier League meeting at London Stadium ended 1-0 in the Hammers' favour back in November 2020, when Tomáš Souček scored in the 91st minute, then Ademola Lookman missed an even later penalty.
Fulham have not won on any of their last ten Premier League visits to east London dating back to a 2-0 victory on 3 November 2001, over 20 years ago. However, the Cottagers did win an FA Cup fifth-round replay at the Boleyn Ground in February 2004.
Match Officials...
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Assistants: Dan Cook & Dan Robathan
Fourth official: Robert Jones
VAR: Michael Salisbury
Assistant VAR: Steve Meredith
