Brentford v West Ham United
Premier League, Gtech Community Stadium, Saturday 28 September 2024, 3pm BST
West Ham United travel across the capital for their fourth London derby of 2024/25 away at Brentford on Saturday afternoon, looking to bounce back to winning ways following defeats against Chelsea and Liverpool in their last two outings.
While Liverpool brought the Hammers’ Carabao Cup run to an end at Anfield on Wednesday night, back on the league front Julen Lopetegui’s men are winless since the end of August, when they triumphed 2-0 on the road at Crystal Palace.
A clash against Brentford lies next in store, with the Bees currently sitting two places above West Ham in the top-flight standings, in 12th, with two wins and three defeats to their name from their five outings so far in 2024/25.
Thomas Frank’s side have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League following their promotion from the EFL Championship in 2020/21, and they will be hoping to improve on their 16th-place finish last time out.
Despite falling to defeat three times this term, each were away from home at big-hitters Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, and Frank will have taken plenty of encouragement from wins over Palace and Southampton in the league, as well in the Carabao Cup against Colchester United and Leyton Orient.
All signs point to an enticing match-up at the Gtech Community Stadium then, with both teams eyeing a positive result that could fire them up the Premier League ranks.
Tickets…
West Ham fans are advised that the Club’s allocation of 1,725 tickets have sold out.
Tickets for this match sold out to Bondholders and Season Ticket Holders with 31+ Loyalty Points.
Travel…
Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium is well served by public transport, with a number of railway and Underground stations within walking distance.
The nearest station is Kew Bridge, which is in Zone 3 on the South Western Railway line from London Waterloo and Clapham Junction.
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, the latter direct from Stratford and Hackney Wick.
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).
Supporters using public transport are advised to check their journeys before they travel, using resources such as TfL’s Journey Planner and the TfL Go app. Supporters may also wish to visit the National Rail website if travelling on the rail network.
How To Follow…
Saturday’s 3pm kick-off will NOT be broadcast live in the UK, but will be shown across the world by the Premier League’s international broadcast partners.
If you live outside the UK, click HERE for details of Premier League listings in your territory.
You can 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 on our website and social media.
Live audio commentary will be available in the UK on BBC Radio London, and worldwide on our official website and app.
Team News…
Midfielder Edson Álvarez will be missing in west London through suspension, having been sent-off for two bookable offences in the Hammers’ Carabao Cup defeat at Liverpool on Wednesday night.
That clash at Anfield came too soon for forward Niclas Füllkrug following his calf injury that he picked up while on international duty with Germany earlier this month, but the 31-year-old has been back in training and will be assessed before the weekend.
Brentford are battling a few injuries issues within their squad, with the likes of Josh Dasilva and Yoane Wissa ruled out, however captain Christian Nørgaard is expected to be available after being absent against Tottenham last weekend, while defender Rico Henry could also be nearing a return.
Opposition…
Brentford - who were an EFL League Two team as recently as 2008/09 - have taken the step up to the Premier League over the past three years in their stride, despite 2023/24 producing arguably their biggest struggle so far.
Following 13th and ninth-place finishes in their first two seasons in the top-flight, following promotion via the EFL Championship Play-Offs in May 2021, Thomas Frank’s Bees battled to 16th last term, two places above the relegation zone.
Their apparent flirt with danger was perhaps not so genuine however when you consider they finished a comfortable 13 points clear of Luton Town in 18th, and with wins over the likes of Chelsea and the Hammers under their belt.
Preparations for a fourth consecutive Premier League campaign involved the sale of talismanic forward Ivan Toney to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli, with the 28-year-old having scored 72 goals in 141 games in red and white, and starred for England at UEFA Euro 2024.
The likes of Igor Thiago, Fábio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg did arrive at the Gtech Community Stadium in big-money moves however, meaning there is surely plenty of confidence within the fanbase of another season of progress.
Brentford have endured a mixed start to 2024/25, yet the fact that each of their three defeats in all competitions so far have come at the hands of teams within the so-called ‘big six’, they will likely take more from their four wins in all competitions.
Previous Meetings…
West Ham edge their head-to-head record with Brentford, having won 24 of the teams’ meetings to the Bees’ 20, while there have been eleven draws.
Last season, each outfit won on their home patch, with Hammers captain Jarrod Bowen netting in the November 2023 3-2 defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium before notching the first hat-trick of his career in a 4-2 triumph at London Stadium.
Overall, the Gtech has not been a happy hunting ground for the Irons in the Premier League, with three defeats from three visits since our first trip to the Bees’ new home in April 2022.
However, we have won at the Gtech, as former Brentford winger Saïd Benrahma scored two winners to secure a pre-season victory in July 2021 and an FA Cup third-round success in January 2023.
The Gtech is the fifth different Brentford home West Ham have visited, following Shotters Field, Cross Roads, York Road and Griffin Park, which the Bees vacated in August 2020.
Our biggest ever away win at Brentford was at Griffin Park in March 1953, when Irish striker Tommy Moroney and winger Harry Hooper each scored twice in a 4-1 Second Division success.
Match Officials…
Referee: Simon Hooper
Assistant Referees: Adrian Holmes and Simon Long
Fourth Official: Tom Nield
VAR: David Coote
Assistant VAR: Craig Taylor
Simon Hooper has been confirmed as the referee for West Ham United’s trip to Brentford.
Born in Swindon, the 42-year-old began refereeing in the Football League in 2008 and took charge of his first Premier League match in August 2015; a 3-1 win for Crystal Palace at Norwich City.
He was promoted to the Select Group of Referees in 2018, and in total, he has been the man in the middle during 12 fixtures involving West Ham, most recently against the Bees at London Stadium in February 2024, which finished 4-2 in the Hammers’ favour.
Having held the whistle in two EFL League One Play-Off finals, in 2017 and 2022, Hooper - who is on the FIFA International Referees list - has refereed four fixtures so far this season, twice in the Championship and twice in the top-flight.
For more information about the officials, click HERE.
