Preview - WBA

The background

West Ham United return to Barclays Premier League action on Saturday when they travel to the West Midlands to take on West Bromwich Albion.

European qualification is very much on the Hammers’ radar as they head to the Hawthorns, with three points the aim as they look to book a place in the UEFA Europa League – or even mount a late bid for the Champions League – in 2016/17.
 
With Liverpool and Southampton breathing down their necks, Slaven Bilic knows his team will need to maintain their unbeaten run to keep them at bay. The Hammers are nine without defeat and will attempt to register back-to-back wins having beaten Watford last time out.
 
West Brom, meanwhile, ended a three-game losing streak on Monday when they came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur – putting a huge dent in Spurs’ title ambitions in the process.
 
The Baggies are safely in mid-table, with their 41 points positioning them 13th in the standings. However, they have gone six games without victory, defeating Manchester United 1-0 on 8 March to give their last three-point haul.

The history

Saturday’s game will be the 100th time the Hammers have met West Brom in Premier League, Football League, FA Cup or League cup action.
 
The Baggies lead the head-to-head with 39 wins to West Ham’s 37, but Bilic’s side will be looking to win at the Hawthorns for a second year in succession in the league.
 
Last season, Kevin Nolan and James Tomkins scored the goals to give the east Londoners a 2-1 victory.
 
Earlier this campaign, a Winston Reid own goal cancelled out Mauro Zarate’s early free kick and ensured the points would be shared.

The match

Team news

West Ham United 

Slaven Bilic has the luxury of a fully fit squad to choose from for Saturday’s game.  Sam Byram and James Collins have recently returned from injuries, while Andy Carroll has been in fine form up front, with six goals in his last six games.

West Bromwich Albion

Baggies duo Ben Foster and Saido Berahino will both be assessed after missing their draw with Spurs due to ankle injuries.
 
James Morrison is back in training following a hamstring injury, but is unlikely to play on Saturday.

Match info 

• Saturday’s referee is Lee Mason. He will be assisted by Dave Bryan and Andrew Fox, with Michael Oliver as fourth official.
• Seven of the 13 Premier League meetings have been drawn, including the last two.
• West Brom are on a six-match winless run and have only scored twice in that period (D2, L4).
• Their last two home matches have ended in 1-0 defeats.
• Only Aston Villa (25) have scored fewer league goals than the Baggies' 32 this season.
• The Baggies have created a Premier League-low 169 goalscoring attempts from open play this season.
• West Ham are unbeaten in nine league matches (W4, D5).
• They have gone four successive away games without defeat despite conceding two goals in each (W1, D3).
• The Hammers have scored 15 times in their last six matches, in contrast to West Brom's two goals over the same period.
• Dimitri Payet has created 102 Premier League chances this season - 75 more than West Brom's leading player, Darren Fletcher.

Tickets, travel, coverage and other info 

• Tickets for this game have SOLD OUT.
• A damp afternoon is expected at the Hawthorns, with the temperature only set to reach 7C (45F).
• Click here for the latest travel news on the roads and here for trains.
• If you’re not heading to the game, our digital channels are where you need to be to catch all the action. The whufc.com Live Match Centre will have live audio commentary, updates from social media, in-running stats and photos and more, while you can get involved in the conversation on social media using the hashtag #WBAWHU