West Ham United will be bidding to end a run of three straight defeats in the Premier League when they welcome Brentford to the London Stadium on Monday evening for an intriguing affair.
The Hammers have dropped to ninth position in the table due to their recent struggles, while Brentford occupy 14th position, with the Bees losing four of their last five in the league during a poor run.
Match preview
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West Ham have not been victorious in any competition since beating Arsenal 2-0 in the league at the Emirates Stadium at the end of last year, with the club currently on a run of eight matches without a win.
The Hammers were knocked out of the FA Cup by Bristol City last month, while they are on a run of six games without a victory in the Premier League, drawing with Brighton & Hove Albion, Sheffield United and Bournemouth, before losing their last three to Manchester United, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.
The manner of their last three defeats have been worrying, conceding three at Old Trafford, six at home to Arsenal and then going down 2-0 at Forest last time out, with David Moyes's side comfortably second-best in each of those contests, and there is now big pressure on the players to issue a response here.
West Ham have dropped down to ninth position in the table, now eight points behind sixth-placed Man United, while they are only one point clear of 11th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Hammers have lost each of their five Premier League matches with Brentford, meanwhile, including a 3-2 defeat in the reverse fixture between the two sides earlier this season.
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Brentford will be hoping to use that excellent top-flight record against West Ham to help them secure all three points on Monday, as the Bees are also on a worrying run of form.
Thomas Frank's side have been beaten in four of their last five league matches, including their last two against Liverpool and Manchester City, with their last success proving to be a 2-0 victory away to Wolves on February 10.
Brentford have a record of seven wins, four draws and 14 defeats from their 25 Premier League matches this season to collect 25 points, which has left them in 14th position, only five points outside of the relegation zone.
The Bees have picked up 10 points from their 12 away league matches this season, while West Ham have secured 19 points from their 12 league games in front of their own supporters.
Brentford have now lost three successive London derbies in the Premier League, having been unbeaten in their previous 14, and there is certainly pressure on Frank to deliver a positive result on Monday due to the team's uncomfortable position in the table.
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West Ham will be without the services of Kalvin Phillips on Monday evening through suspension due to the red card that he was handed in the defeat to Forest last time out.
However, Lucas Paqueta is in contention to play after a spell out with a calf problem, and the Brazil international is being tipped to start in what would be a huge boost for the Hammers.
Tomas Soucek is likely to be introduced in central midfield due to the absence of Phillips, while Michail Antonio is expected to drop out in the final third of the field to allow Paqueta to return to the XI.
As for Brentford, Rico Henry, Aaron Hickey, Ethan Pinnock, Kevin Schade, Bryan Mbeumo and Josh Dasilva remain unavailable for selection.
The Bees have no fresh injury concerns, and head coach Frank is expected to name the majority of the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Man City last time out.
There could be a change in the final third of the field, though, with Neal Maupay potentially coming in for Yoane Wissa, who was given the nod against the champions.
Ivan Toney has scored four Premier League goals since his return to action last month, and the Englishman will again lead the Brentford line at the London Stadium.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Soucek, Alvarez; Paqueta, Ward-Prowse, Kudus; Bowen
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Jorgensen, Ajer, Mee; Roerslev, Onyeka, Norgaard, Janelt, Reguilon; Toney, Maupay
We say: West Ham United 1-1 Brentford
This is a really tough match to call, especially considering the form of both sides, and the fact that Brentford have dominated the top-flight meetings between the teams. It would not be a surprise to see a home win here, but we believe that Brentford will be good enough to secure a share of the spoils in this contest.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
