West Ham United v Brentford
Premier League, London Stadium, Monday 26 February 2024, 8pm GMT
West Ham United welcome Thomas Frank’s Brentford to London Stadium on Monday night for a mouth-watering derby duel under the lights.
Disappointment at the City Ground stretched the Hammers’ winless run to six Premier League matches, though they still remain in the hunt for European qualification, with David Moyes’ men eyeing a victory that could lift them up to seventh in the table.
The Irons will be out for revenge having been narrowly defeated 3-2 in the reverse fixture at Gtech Community Stadium in November. Neil Maupay put the home side ahead after eleven minutes, but two quickfire goals from Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen turned the game on its head.
However, Konstantinos Mavropanos’ own goal saw Brentford level before Nathan Collins headed home the winner to send the Hammers home empty handed.
Brentford will make the short trip across the capital looking to get back on track in the league and move further clear of the relegation zone, after falling to a 4-1 home defeat to Liverpool and losing 1-0 at Manchester City over the last week.
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.
Travel…
There is no planned disruption to TfL Underground services on the Jubilee and Central lines, nor the Elizabeth line, Docklands Light Railway or London Overground services calling at Stratford.
Likewise, there are no planned engineering works on the c2c and Greater Anglia mainline services for Monday, as well as the Southeastern network that serves Stratford International.
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.
How To Follow…
West Ham United’s home Premier League match against Brentford has been selected for broadcast in the United Kingdom by Sky 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 London, talkSPORT, 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.
Monday’s issue includes an in-depth interview and analysis of Angelo Ogbonna, features with Aaron Cresswell and James Ward-Prowse, and a chat with 1999 FA Youth Cup winning captain Adam Newton.
With Academy content focusing on youngster Jacob Knightbridge, who has spent time training with the first team group, the latest from our women’s team, plus history, puzzles, statistics, and the lowdown on our opponents from Gtech Community Stadium, the Official Programme is packed full of content for you!
Click here to order your copy now!
Team News…
Striker Michail Antonio could be set for a first appearance at London Stadium since mid-November, after making his return injury against Nottingham Forest last time out.
Lucas Paquetá continues to step up his training after being absent from West Ham United’s squad since January and could be in contention for Monday, but Kalvin Phillips is suspended following his red card at the City Ground last weekend.
For Brentford, they have lost defender Ethan Pinnock to an ankle injury, while Josh Dasilva, Rico Henry, Kevin Schade, Bryan Mbeumo and Aaron Hickey will also miss out.
Mathias Jensen and Neal Maupay, meanwhile, will be pushing for starting selection having been benched for the defeat at Manchester City.
Opposition...
Brentford have taken the step up to the Premier League over the past three and a half years in their stride, but this season has seen their biggest struggle so far.
However, there can be excuses, as they badly missed talisman Ivan Toney, who was absent for eight months until late-January, while other injuries, absentees and exits have hit them hard this campaign.
But Toney is back and it could scarcely be timed much better. Brentford are five points ahead of 18th placed-Luton Town and the once-capped English international might just be returning for the Bees' hour of need.
While the season started brightly for Monday’s visitors, two spells of five games without a win at different points of the season has put them in unknown territory, just above the relegation battle, for the first time in the top flight.
Six points against Nottingham Forest and Wolves this month, while two creditable performances against title-challenging Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, shows that Frank’s side are able to get results against the sides around them too and should be written off at your peril.
The Bees’ success on the field only tells half the story of the incredible work that has taken over the past decade. Brentford disbanded its Academy in 2016 to focus on a smaller group of players, only relaunching it two years ago.
Ever since Matthew Benham became the club’s owner in 2012, the recruitment strategy had focused on identifying undervalued players and picking them up below their price point.
And the results have followed too. Brentford made an estimated £100m from the sales of stars Saïd Benrahma, Ollie Watkins and Neil Maupay. Ivan Toney was brought for around £10m from Peterborough – now he is valued at almost ten times that amount. Vitaly Janelt is another example of the successful model. He joined for £500,000 from Bochum in 2020 and has helped Frank’s side get promoted via the play-offs in his debut season and has featured in 91 of their 101 Premier League games since.
Interestingly, last summer, there seemed to be a change of approach to their dealings. After an impressive ninth-place finish last season, narrowly missing out on European football, they spent over a reported £60m for the signings of Nahan Collins, Kevin Schade, and goalkeeper Mark Flekken.
Perhaps, Brentford are now beginning to diverge from their long-held transfer policy.
Previous Meetings...
Monday’s game will be just the sixth Premier League fixture between the two clubs, with Brentford having won home and away against the Hammers in their debut Premier League campaign – and then repeated that feat last season with a braces of 2-0 successes.
David Moyes’ side did score a 1-0 victory in the FA Cup on 7 January last year, but Brentford added to their tally of Premier League victories over the Hammers by triumphing 3-2 in west London earlier this season.
Prior to that, the most-recent meetings came back in the 1992/93 season, when both clubs were in the old First Division (now the Championship).
West Ham were promoted that season, having drawn 0-0 at Brentford's old Griffin Park stadium before thrashing the Bees 4-0 at the Boleyn Ground, where Martin Allen, Peter Butler, Trevor Morley, and Kevin Keen got the goals for Billy Bonds' Hammers.
Our first-ever meeting came all the way back on 11 September 1897, when Thames Ironworks FC, as we were then known, won a London League fixture 1-0 at the Memorial Grounds, with Scotsman Jimmy Reid getting the only goal of the game in front of 1,000 spectators.
Match Officials…
Referee: Simon Hooper
Assistant Referees: Adrian Holmes and Simon Long
Fourth Official: Tony Harrington
VAR: Michael Oliver
Assistant VAR: Con Hatzidakis
Simon Hooper has been named as the referee for West Ham United’s Premier League clash at home to Brentford on Monday.
Born in Swindon, the 41-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 13 times in the Premier League this season, most recently refereeing Brentford’s 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers in early February.
For more information about the officials, click here.
VAWG Awareness...
West Ham United will join forces with the Metropolitan Police, London Stadium and Brentford to help raise awareness of VAWG (Violence against Women and Girls) at our Premier League home fixture against the Bees on Monday.
An information point near Bridge Two will provide supporters with the opportunity to pop in and learn more about VAWG and how to report specific issues linked to this topic.
As an equity leader and proud recipient of the PLEDIS - the Premier League’s advanced award for the Club's ongoing dedication and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion - West Ham United wants to make sure it is doing all it can to ensure the matchday experience at London Stadium is a safe space for supporters and the wider community.
In addition to the information point, the stadium's big screen will also carry messaging to assist with the campaign.
PC Andy Sheldon, the dedicated football officer for West Ham matches, said: “We want to see and hear how women and girls can feel safer in the vicinity of London Stadium.
“It could be suggestions like improving lighting in certain areas or cutting foliage.
“While this is aimed at women and girls, we are also welcoming members of the local community to also provide suggestions.”
