In brief
West Ham United welcome struggling Burnley to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday looking to start the final month of the season in style.
With four games left, the Hammers are still within sight of the 50-point mark and will be keen to move three points closer to their target against a team who are without a win in five.
The Clarets’ problems are evidenced by their lack of goals – they have failed to score in seven of their last eight outings – with that run unsurprisingly yielding a total of just four points.
Sean Dyche’s men last recorded a victory when they came up against Manchester City at Turf Moor and they currently sit at the foot of the Barclays Premier League table with 26 points from 34 games.
The Hammers’ form has not been an awful lot better, although they have collected four points from their last two home matches, defeating Sunderland 1-0 before drawing 1-1 with Stoke City last time out at the Boleyn Ground.
Who are they?
The Clarets were formed in 1882 as Burnley Rovers and six years later became one of the 12 founder members of the Football League.
Their colours of claret and blue were adopted in 1910 as a tribute to the dominant force in the English game at the time, Aston Villa.
Twice league champions, in 1921 and 1960, they are one of three clubs, alongside Wolverhampton Wanderers and Preston North End to have won all four divisions of the Football League.
They are currently in their second Premier League season, having also featured at that level in 2009/10.
Team News
West Ham United
Sam Allardyce is likely to have the same squad of players available to him as at Queens Park Rangers last weekend.
James Tomkins (shoulder), Andy Carroll (knee), Guy Demel (calf), Winston Reid (hamstring) and Diafra Sakho (thigh) remain sidelined, while Alex Song missed out at Loftus Road with a back problem.
Reece Burke could continue at centre back alongside James Collins after impressing on his top flight debut last week.
Burnley
Sam Vokes will have a fitness test on a thigh injury after missing last weekend’s defeat to Leicester City.
However, fellow forward Ashley Barnes is available again after serving his suspension.
Referee
Saturday’s referee is Jonathan Moss., who has been appointed to referee this season’s FA Cup final between Arsenal and Aston Villa.
Sunderland-born, West Yorkshire-based Moss has taken charge of eight previous West Ham United matches, six of which have ended in draws.
Three of those stalemates have occurred this season – 0-0 at home to Aston Villa, 1-1 here against West Bromwich Albion and 1-1 at Swansea City. Prior to that, Moss’s first two Hammers appointments came during the 2011/12 season in the Championship – a 2-1 away defeat to Derby County and a 3-3 Boleyn Ground draw with Birmingham City.
One to Watch
West Ham United
Aaron Cresswell
Aaron Cresswell’s prowess from free kicks has come to the fore in recent weeks, after he followed his super strike against Stoke with another fine effort at QPR, which needed a wonderful save from ex-Hammer Robert Green to touch onto the crossbar.
The 25-year-old left back has handled the step-up to the Premier League with ease since his summer move from Ipswich Town and is set to continue his second of playing every second this season when the Hammers take on the Clarets.
Burnley
Danny Ings
England U21 striker Danny Ings’s goals have kept Burnley in the hunt to avoid an instant return to the Championship, although the former Bournemouth man has struggled to hit the back of the net quite so regularly in recent weeks.
His total of nine goals is nonetheless impressive in his first top flight campaign and the 23-year-old enjoyed a real purple patch at the turn of the year, notching five times in his first seven games of 2015.
Tickets
Tickets for this game have SOLD OUT.
Travel
There are no planned closures on the District or Hammersmith & City lines serving Upton Park station on Saturday. Click here for full TfL travel information.
Good services are also anticipated on the Greater Anglia and c2c lines into Liverpool Street and Fenchurch Street respectively.
Weather
A dry, cloudy afternoon is expected on Saturday, with temperature at kick-off of 12C (54F).
Last home meeting
West Ham United 1-2 Burnley
npower Championship
3 December 2011
West Ham United: Green, McCartney, Tomkins, Faye, O’Brien (Carew 80), Faubert, Nolan, Collison, Taylor (Piquionne 56), Noble, Cole
Subs: Stech, Demel, Diop
Burnley: Grant, Trippier, Duff, Edgar, Mee, McCann, Marney, Stanislas (Vokes 69), Bartley, Treacy (Wallace 58), Rodriguez
Subs: Stewart, Easton, Hines