West Ham United v Brighton & Hove Albion
Premier League, London Stadium, Saturday 21 December 2024, 3pm GMT
West Ham United welcome Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton & Hove Albion to London Stadium in a rare Saturday 3pm kick-off, looking to stretch their unbeaten league run to three matches.
Having seen off Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 earlier this month, Julen Lopetegui’s Hammers go into the contest off the back of a 1-1 draw with high-flying AFC Bournemouth on Monday evening, and will be eyeing another positive result in east London against the Seagulls with just six points separating them and the Premier League’s top six.
Brighton, on the other hand, will arrive in the capital at risk of extending their winless run to five matches for the first time this season, and will be aiming to get their European bid back on track.
All signs point to an enticing match-up, then, with both teams aiming to send their fans home happy for Christmas on the back of three points.
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 are urged to arrive early at London Stadium on Saturday as security and ticket checks will be in place at all entry points.
Travel…
There are no planned disruptions to TfL Underground services on the Central or Jubilee lines, nor the Elizabeth line, but there are set to be issues on Docklands Light Railway services. Supporters using the DLR are highly recommended to check their routes before departure.
Similarly, there are planned works on the Piccadilly, Mildmay and Waterloo & City services, as well as scheduled disruptions on Greater Anglia mainline trains and on the Southeastern network that serves Stratford International. Services on the c2c network should run as normal, however.
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…
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 5 live, and worldwide on our official website and app.
Official Programme…
At 116 pages, the publication remains the largest in English football, while this year each Premier League issue also comes with a bespoke cover illustration and an eight-page pullout, complete with an eye-catching poster, a brainteasing quiz and plenty of games for our younger Hammers.
Still priced at just £4, the Official Programme represents superb value for money for supporters of all ages wanting exclusive interviews, attention-grabbing opinions and eye-catching photographs, plus the regular news, columns and 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.
Our eleventh issue of the season is led by an extensive interview with our Polish No1 Łukasz Fabiański, who discusses his star performances back in the starting XI, his longevity between the sticks and his love for the festive period. Fabiański features on the Christmas-themed programme cover, which has been created by Dale James.
We also have words from Club captain Jarrod Bowen, Head Coach Julen Lopetegui and Steve Blowers’ chat with former Hammers and Seagulls midfielder Alan Curbishley, as we continue celebrating the 50th anniversary of our 1975 FA Cup win, while we've got exciting features with Emerson and Guido Rodríguez
With the latest news from our Academy, women’s team and Foundation, plus puzzles, statistics and the lowdown on our opponents from the American Express Stadium, the Official Programme is packed full of content for you!
Team News…
Defender Jean-Clair Todibo will be assessed ahead of the visit of Brighton & Hove Albion, having missed the draw away at AFC Bournemouth on Monday night.
Midfielder Carlos Soler, meanwhile, will be suspended for Saturday’s match following his fifth yellow card of the Premier League season at Vitality Stadium.
Elsewhere, Michail Antonio will remain absent for the Hammers, as he recovers from surgery on a lower limb fracture suffered in a road traffic accident earlier this month.
Ferdi Kadıoğlu, James Milner, Solly March and Adam Webster are all likely to be out for Brighton, but Joel Veltman and Jack Hinshelwood could make their returns from injury in east London.
Opposition…
Is there a better-run club in English football than Brighton & Hove Albion?
Despite selling a succession of players for combined fees totalling more than £400million since the summer of 2021, the Seagulls continue to fly high in the Premier League.
Ben White, Dan Burn, Leandro Trossard, Marc Cucurella, Yves Bissouma, Alexis Mac Allister, Robert Sánchez, Moisés Caicedo, Pascal Groß and Billy Gilmour have all departed the American Express Stadium in recent seasons and gone on to impress at their respective new homes.
While some clubs might have struggled after losing such a large number of seemingly vital members of their squad, Brighton have somehow continued to compete in the best league in the world.
Brighton’s owner since 2009, local businessman Tony Bloom is the man who has overseen the incredible transformation on the Sussex coast.
Under Bloom’s leadership, Brighton have risen from EFL League One to reach the knockout stages of last season’s UEFA Europa League.
The question every other club in the country should surely be asking is, how?
Put simply, Brighton have a philosophy which they follow, on and off the pitch, and they stick to it.
While some may panic-buy when results or performances dip, Brighton have stuck to their principles - namely identifying young, up-and-coming, talented players and coaches with the potential to develop and improve to the highest level.
While many clubs are reticent to offer opportunities to those players and coaches, instead opting for experienced - almost always far more expensive - alternatives, Brighton’s assured confidence in their philosophy means they are not afraid to try out the untested on the pitch and in the dugout.
In 2018, Bloom bought Belgian second-tier club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (USG). They won promotion in 2021, then finished second in the top-flight and won the Belgian Cup last season.
USG have also assisted Brighton by serving as a testing ground for some of the young players bought by the Seagulls, then sent on loan to Brussels, including current starters Simon Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma.
Brighton have also developed an outstanding worldwide scouting network that has seen them bring in a succession of future stars from overseas, with South America a particular area of strength.
In the dugout, Bloom has also made a series of appointments of head coaches with no previous Premier League managerial experience, including Graham Potter, Roberto De Zerbi and, in the summer just gone, 31-year-old German Fabian Hürzeler.
Of course, sport is not science, but former gambler Bloom and his Brighton have seemingly found a winning formula.
Previous Meetings…
Facing Brighton in the Premier League has been a difficult task for the Hammers so far.
It was only back in August 2023, at the American Express Stadium, that West Ham picked up a first Premier League win over the Seagulls. Goals from James Ward-Prowse, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio earned the Irons a 3-1 win that temporarily put the Hammers top of the Premier League table!
Prior to that, though, the Irons were without a win in 12 matches against Brighton in the Premier League - a run consisting of six draws and six defeats.
West Ham’s last home win against Brighton was in April 2012, and it was a good one too. Three goals in the opening eleven minutes, including two from Ricardo Vaz Tê and a finish from captain Kevin Nolan, put the Irons on course for an excellent 6-0 victory, with Vaz Tê completing his hat-trick.
The last meeting between the two sides, back in January, yielded a hard-fought 0-0 draw at London Stadium.
Match Officials…
Referee: Rob Jones
Assistant Referees: Ian Hussin and Neil Davies
Fourth Official: Sam Barrott
VAR: Paul Tierney
Assistant VAR: Mark Scholes
Rob Jones has been confirmed as the referee for Saturday’s Premier League match at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.
A referee in the English Football League since 2016, the 37-year-old Merseysider took charge of his first top-flight clash in December 2019, and was promoted to Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) Select Group One ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.
Jones has been the man in the middle at three finals during his career so far, the last of which was Wycombe Wanderers’ victory over Oxford United in the EFL League One Play-Off final in July 2020, little under a year after he refereed Oxford’s shock win over West Ham in the third round of the EFL Cup.
In total, Jones has held the whistle at seven games involving the Hammers, most recently during the 2-0 away win over Crystal Palace in August earlier this season.
For more information about the officials, click HERE.
