West Ham United v AFC Bournemouth
Carabao Cup second round, London Stadium, Wednesday 28 August 2024, 7.45pm BST
West Ham United kick-off their 2024/25 Carabao Cup campaign with a second round tie at home to AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday evening.
Julen Lopetegui’s side enter the competition at the second round stage for the first time since 2020, having made their bow in the third round in recent seasons due to involvement in European competition.
The Irons, who are two-time EFL Cup finalists - finishing as runners-up to West Bromwich Albion in 1966 and Liverpool in 1981 - will be bidding to better last year’s memorable run to the quarter-finals, where they were defeated by eventual winners Liverpool.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, sit 14th in the early Premier League table, on two points from two matches played so far. The Cherries reached the fourth round of the competition in both of the last two campaigns, also losing to Liverpool last season, and finalists Newcastle the year before.
Tickets…
Tickets are on General Sale now HERE. All tickets will be in digital format and sent to supporters by email to download onto mobile devices. Ticket prices start from £10 for Adults for £1 for Under-18s.
Travel…
There is no planned disruption to TfL Underground services on the Jubilee and Central lines, though there are set to be late night part closures on London Overground and part closures on Piccadilly line services. Supporters utilising these lines are highly recommended to check their routes before departure.
Similarly, there are late night disruptions on c2c services between Stanford-le-Hope and Pitsea.
Stratford and Stratford City Bus Stations are located in close proximity to Stratford Station. Buses that run to these stations are numbers: 25, 86, 97, 104, 108, 158, 241, 257, 262, 276, 308, 425, 473, D8.
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.
There is no parking available at London Stadium. Restrictions will be in place and enforced in the local area.
Official Programme…
At 116 pages, the publication remains the largest in English football, and, at just £4 per issue (plus postage if purchasing online), represents superb value for money for supporters wanting exclusive interviews, attention-grabbing opinions and eye-catching photographs.
Also offering the regular news, columns, statistics and insightful content from across all areas of the Club, the Official Programme is the definitive Claret and Blue publication for West Ham fans.
Wednesday's issue includes an in-depth interview and analysis of new Hammer Wes Foderingham, features with Aaron Cresswell, and Vladimír Coufal. We also have Head Coach and captain notes from Julen Lopetegui and Jarrod Bowen respectively, Steve Blowers’ chat to former Hammer and Cherry Junior Stanislas, while wheelchair tennis superstar Andy Lapthorne discusses his love for the Irons ahead of his Paralympic Games campaign out in Paris.
Offering exclusive interviews with members of West Ham’s Academy and women’s teams, as well as the latest news from both set-ups and the Foundation, plus puzzles, statistics and the lowdown on our opponents from the south coast, the Official Programme is packed full of content for you!
Click HERE to order your copy now!
How To Follow…
Wednesday's tie will broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports+.
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 talkSPORT, locally on BBC London, and worldwide on our official website and app.
Carabao Cup rules...
Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie will be settled on the night at London Stadium
In the event that the scores remain level after 90 minutes, the match will go straight to penalties and there will be no extra-time played.
Before that, each manager can name nine substitutes, of whom five can be used. Each club is permitted a maximum of three opportunities to make substitutions, excluding half-time.
Each club shall also be permitted to utilise up to one concussion substitute and/or one additional substitute (additional substitutes available if the opposition make a concussion substitute) are permitted in accordance with the IFAB Protocol.
Use of either a concussion substitute or additional substitute shall not count towards the five substitutions permitted or towards the number of opportunities permitted to make a substitution.
Other information...
The winning team will not need to wait long to discover their next opponents as the third round draw will also take place on Wednesday evening, live on Sky Sports, following the conclusion of the second round ties.
Team News…
After a busy start to the Premier League season, manager Julen Lopetegui could take the opportunity to rotate his squad for Wednesday’s cup clash, having opted to bed his new signings in slowly, naming the same starting XI for both top-flight outings so far.
Jean-Clair Todibo, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Niclas Füllkrug and Crysencio Summerville could all start after making their West Ham debuts from the bench, while Łukasz Fabiański will be hoping for minutes in goal. Edson Álvarez returned from the bench in Saturday's win at Crystal Palace, and could be handed some valuable game time.
Bournemouth have no fresh injury concerns at this stage, but will definitely be without Tyler Adams, David Brooks and Enes Ünal, who are all still sidelined through injury. The trio have been out of action throughout pre-season with long-term setbacks.
Opposition…
The man who pulled off a miracle at AFC Bournemouth last season remains in charge, unsurprisingly. He is Usurbil-born Andoni Iraola, who was appointed as head coach in June 2023, as 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. The Irons have, of course, now joined that group.
Patience is a virtue in football and Iraola’s tenure on the English south coast is the perfect example. Bournemouth could have easily sacked Iraola following a winless start to the Premier that lasted nine games – the first time in the club’s Football League history they had achieved such a feat - but Iraola led the Cherries to a 12th-place Premier League finish, which represented the club’s best for seven years, while making them one of the finest pressing sides in the top-flight.
The 42-year-old 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-place 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.
Bournemouth have quietly assembled a squad packed full of rich potential throughout the summer transfer window. Having lost top goalscorer Dominic Solanke to Tottenham Hotspur, the Cherries broke their transfer record to sign Evanilson from FC Porto, with the deal believed to be worth around £40m.
Luis Sinisterra, Dean Huijsen, Enes Ünal, Julián Araujo, Alex Paulsen and Daniel Jebbison have also all arrived at Vitality Stadium, and all aged 27 or under, it offers encouragement that Bournemouth are building for the longer term.
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.
Previous meetings…
Wednesday’s contest marks the 20th competitive meeting between West Ham and Bournemouth, and the first outside of the Premier League since October 1999.
Both games last season finished in a 1-1 draw. A late Solanke strike cancel out Jarrod Bowen’s opener on the opening day of last season before James Ward-Prowse’s penalty rescued a point in the return fixture in February at London Stadium to stretch West Ham’s unbeaten run against the Cherries to six games, while maintaining 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 seven 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.
Match Officials…
Referee: Peter Bankes
Assistant Referees: Marc Perry and Akil Howson
Fourth Official: John Busby
Peter Bankes has been confirmed as the referee for West Ham United’s first outing in the 2024/25 edition of the Carabao Cup, at home to Premier League rivals AFC Bournemouth.
The 42-year-old has been part of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) Select Group One since the 2019/20 campaign, three seasons after being promoted to Select Group Two.
His first appointment in the top-flight came in August 2019, four years after his maiden appearance in the EFL Cup, when he oversaw Walsall’s 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion in the second round.
In the third round of the competition that same year, Bankes refereed his first game involving West Ham, as Slaven Bilić’s side were defeated 2-1 by Leicester City after extra-time.
In total, he has held the whistle at ten fixtures involving the Irons, including last season’s Premier League draws away at Bournemouth and at home to Newcastle United.
Away from the domestic scene, Bankes has refereed at international level on two occasions, and in UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying four times.
