West Ham United v AFC Bournemouth
Premier League, London Stadium, Thursday 1 February 2024, 7.30pm GMT
West Ham United welcome Andoni Iraola’s AFC Bournemouth to London Stadium for a mouth-watering clash under the lights on Thursday, looking to stretch their unbeaten run in the Premier League to six games.
In only their second home league outing of 2024, David Moyes’ men will be focused on claiming a first win since a 2-0 triumph at title-challengers Arsenal in late December, following a dramatic draw away at Sheffield United last time out.
Bournemouth are set to arrive in the capital full of confidence having emphatically seen off EFL Championship side Swansea City 5-0 in the Emirates FA Cup last Thursday, and they too will be looking to get back on track in the league.
After a slow start to 2023/24, which saw them eventually register their first Premier League win at home to Burnley on 28 October, the Cherries quickly found their rhythm and went on a seven-game unbeaten run before successive losses in their last two games.
Tickets…
Tickets for this sold out game are still available on the Ticket Exchange, with Season Ticket Holders who cannot attend this fixture relisting their seats for other supporters to buy. Click HERE to check availability or relist.
Supporters attending the game should take their seats for a new-look pre-match show led by east London-based DJ and Hammer Guy Trundle, showing the Club's commitment to championing local talent.
Travel…
There is no planned disruption to TfL Underground, Overground and Docklands Light Railway services serving Stratford on Thursday, while the same is true for Greater Anglia mainline services.
There are planned engineering works on the c2c service between London Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, with buses replacing late night trains between Laindon and Leigh-on-Sea, and between Stanford-le-Hope and Pitsea. Train services will run between London Fenchurch Street and Laindon/Stanford-le-Hope, and between Leigh-on-Sea and Shoeburyness only. On the same route, c2c will be running a reduced service due to industrial action.
Planned engineering works are also taking place at various locations on the Southeastern network, that serves Stratford International, with amendments being made to some late night services.
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…
West Ham United’s home Premier League match against AFC Bournemouth has been selected for broadcast in the United Kingdom by TNT Sports.
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 5 live sports extra, and worldwide on our official website and app.
Official Programme…
At 116 pages, and just £4 per issue, West Ham United’s 2023/24 Official Programme represents superb value for money for supporters wanting exclusive interviews, attention-grabbing opinions and eye-catching photographs, plus the regular news, columns, statistics and insightful content from across all areas of the Club.
Thursday’s issue includes an in-depth interview and analysis of Danny Ings, a feature with Edson Álvarez and chats with former Hammers Carl Fletcher, Ricardo Vaz Tê and Jack Collison.
With Academy content focusing on Northern Irish youngster Patrick Kelly, the latest from our women’s team, plus history, puzzles, statistics and the lowdown on our opponents from Vitality Stadium, the Official Programme is packed full of content for you!
Team News…
England midfielder Kalvin Phillips could be in line for his first appearance in Claret and Blue, following his arrival on loan until the end of the 2023/24 season from Manchester City.
Edson Álvarez, Lucas Paquetá and Michail Antonio continue to be assessed after being absent from West Ham United’s squad for the draw away at Sheffield United, while Mohammed Kudus might be in consideration following Ghana’s elimination from the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations.
For AFC Bournemouth, French midfielder Romain Faivre has been recalled from a loan spell at Ligue 1 side Lorient, where he scored five goals in the first half of the season.
American midfielder Tyler Adams is out with a thigh injury, while former Hammer Ryan Fredericks has been out of action for some time and is not expected to feature.
Adam Smith, who is Bournemouth's record Premier League appearance maker, has not played since New Year's Eve, while fellow full-back Max Aarons is out with a thigh problem, too. Wide player Dango Ouattara has been away with Burkina Faso at the Africa Cup of Nations, but could return to action.
Opposition…
The unveiling of Usurbil-born Andoni Iraola as head coach in June 2023 meant Bournemouth joined a growing list of top-flight teams to have installed a manager from the Basque Country, after Mikel Arteta joined Arsenal and Aston Villa hired Unai Emery.
Undoubtedly, there was an element of risk in the appointment, with the Cherries parting company with Gary O’Neil in order to bring in the Spaniard after the former Hammer kept them in the Premier League.
After six defeats - and no wins - from their first nine Premier League games of 2023/24, that risk seemed to have backfired, and a 2-1 defeat to O’Neil’s Wolverhampton Wanderers in October duly left them languishing in the bottom three.
Since then however, Bournemouth have turned things around, and a seven-game unbeaten streak across November and December - including six victories - demonstrated Iraola’s managerial prowess.
Prior to his arrival on the English south coast, Iraola made his name in charge of Rayo Vallecano. Having taken over at the Spanish Second Division side in August 2020, he led them to La Liga via the play-offs. Despite being widely considered one of the top tier’s smallest teams, Iraola and Vallecano continued to defy expectations.
A 12th-placed finish in La Liga was accompanied by a semi-final spot in the Copa Del Rey in 2020/21; only the second time the club has reached the last four of the competition in its history. Last term, Iraola and Vallecano went one better in the league, finishing 11th.
After signing a two-year deal at Vitality Stadium, Iraola brought a handful of new players into his playing squad, though no-one has joined their ranks so far during the ongoing January transfer window.
English striker Dominic Solanke is their most potent goal threat - with his 12 strikes placing him third in the Premier League standings - and the Chelsea Academy product was back on the scoresheet in the aforementioned heavy FA Cup win over Swansea having failed to score in his two previous top-flight outings.
A number of current and former players have featured for both West Ham and Bournemouth over the years - including Jermain Defoe, Rio Ferdinand and Danny Ings - while former Hammers Darren Randolph and Ryan Fredericks are both present members of the Cherries’ set-up.
Previous Meetings…
Thursday’s contest marks the 19th competitive meeting between West Ham and Bournemouth, and the 14th in the Premier League.
A 1-1 draw between the teams on the opening day of the current season - which saw a late Solanke strike cancel out Jarrod Bowen’s opener - stretched West Ham’s unbeaten run against the Cherries to five games, while extending their superior all-time record against the south-coast outfit.
Overall, West Ham have come out on top in eight of the head-to-heads, while Bournemouth have triumphed on four occasions and there have been six draws.
Prior to the Premier League, the Irons overcame then third-tier Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic in the pair’s first meeting, in the FA Cup fifth round back in February 1929.
The two clubs met in the old Second Division in 1989/90, when Harry Redknapp was Bournemouth manager, and the Londoners secured a League Cup third-round success over the Dorset club in October 1999.
Both meetings last season finished in the Irons’ favour, with a 4-0 victory at Vitality Stadium in April 2023 - West Ham’s biggest away victory over Bournemouth - coming six months after Kurt Zouma and Saïd Benrahma goals inspired a 2-0 win on home soil.
Bournemouth have so-far claimed the full share of the spoils on just one of their five visits to London Stadium, in August 2018, and they have indeed come out empty-handed three times.
Match Officials…
Referee: Tim Robinson
Assistant Referees: Gary Beswick & Adam Nunn
Fourth Official: Darren England
VAR: Simon Hooper
Assistant VAR: Eddie Smart
Tim Robinson has been confirmed as the referee for Thursday’s Premier League match at home against AFC Bournemouth.
One of the Premier League’s newest regular officials, Robinson took charge of his first top-flight clash in December 2019 - a 1-0 win for Burnley over Newcastle United - and was promoted to Select Group 1 ahead of the 2023/24 season.
The official from West Sussex will referee a West Ham Premier League game for the first time on Thursday, having taken charge of the Hammers’ Carabao Cup quarter-final trip to Liverpool in December.
Robinson also took charge of the EFL League One Play-Off final last season, as Sheffield Wednesday beat Barnsley 1-0 after extra-time at Wembley Stadium.
For more information about the officials, click HERE.
