West Ham United v Crystal Palace
Premier League, London Stadium, Saturday 18 January 2025, 3pm GMT
West Ham United will be looking to build on Tuesday night’s triumph over Fulham when we host London rivals Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Having seen off in-form Fulham 3-2, the Hammers will be hoping it can be the beginning of an impressive string of results, and Graham Potter will hope his team’s recent resurgence can continue and he can achieve his third career victory over Oliver Glasner’s side. Potter, of course, is no stranger to coaching in London derbies, having previously been in charge at Chelsea.
It is almost five months since the two teams met in the reverse fixture at Selhurst Park, where goals from Tomáš Souček and Jarrod Bowen secured our first win of the Premier League season.
Victory for the Hammers could see us climb into the top half of the Premier League table, but Potter's side will be wary of the stern test promised by a side that have witnessed a recent upturn in form, with Crystal Palace taking eight points from their last four Premier League games to lift themselves clear of the bottom three.
The London derby between West Ham and Crystal Palace has delivered drama on many occasions in the Premier League, and all signs point to an enticing match-up, with both teams eyeing a positive result that could fire them up the Premier League ranks.
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 are no planned disruptions to TfL Underground services on Central, Bakerloo, Circle, District, Metropolitan and Northern lines, and the Docklands Light Railway, although there are set to be issues on Piccadilly, Jubilee and Elizabeth line services. Supporters using these services are highly recommended to check their routes before departure.
There are no planned issues on the c2c mainline, but on Greater Anglia, the 23:18 Liverpool Street to Clacton service terminates at Colchester with a connecting bus for onward journeys towards Clacton.
On Southeastern network, there are planned engineering works between London Charing Cross, London Victoria and Hayes (Kent).
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 talkSPORT, and worldwide on our official website and app.
Official Programme…
Our 14th issue of the season is led by an extensive interview with Palace academy product Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who discusses how he's settled in since his summer switch from Manchester United to the Hammers, fond memories of his time with the Eagles and his hopes for the future. Wan-Bissaka features on the striking programme cover, which has been created by London-based illustrator Zem Clarke.
We also have Jarrod Bowen's captain's column, words from Head Coach Graham Potter and Steve Blowers’ chat with former West Ham and Crystal Palace defender Paul Brush, as we continue celebrating the 50th anniversary of our 1975 FA Cup win. There are exciting features with Maximilian Kilman and Wes Foderingham, exclusive columns galore, stats and in-depth analysis from Analytics United, too!
With the latest news from our Academy, Women’s team and Foundation, plus puzzles, statistics and the lowdown on our opponents from Selhurst Park, the Official Programme is packed full of content for you!
Moore Family Foundation...
As we take on Crystal Palace, we also spotlight the transformative work of the Moore Family Foundation (MFF). In partnership with the West Ham United Foundation, MFF empowers young people facing challenges in education through mentorship, skills training, and football-themed programmes.
The MFF was set up by Roberta Moore, daughter of Hammers legend Bobby Moore, in order to celebrate his enduring legacy and help shape brighter futures for young people.
MFF offers qualifications like Sports Leadership and Business Administration, builds confidence, and provides enriching experiences such as stadium tours.
In the coming year, the programme will provide tailored support to 50 young people across three alternative provisions, expanding its legacy of opportunity and hope. With your help, more opportunities can be provided.
For more information on how you can support the Moore Family Foundation, visit the West Ham United website or join us on match day to celebrate the legacy of Bobby Moore and the Foundation’s vital work.
Team News…
Winger Crysencio Summerville will be assessed ahead of the visit of Crystal Palace, having missed the home victory over Fulham on Tuesday night after suffering a hamstring injury at Villa Park last weekend. Niclas Füllkrug, meanwhile, will miss Saturday’s game after suffering his own hamstring problem in the same FA Cup tie.
Jarrod Bowen is recovering from a fractured foot suffered while playing against Liverpool on 29 December, while Alphonse Areola and Jean-Clair Todibo both missed Tuesday’s game at London Stadium and will also be assessed.
Forward Michail Antonio remains on the sidelines following his car accident towards the start of December.
For Crystal Palace, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Maxence Lacroix and Tyrick Mitchell all returned from illness to feature against Leicester City on Wednesday, while Will Hughes returned from injury at King Power Stadium.
Adam Wharton, however, is an injury doubt for the Eagles’ visit to London Stadium, and long-term absentee Matheus França is out for the foreseeable future.
Opposition…
Hopes were raised that Crystal Palace could mount a challenge for European qualification this season after the Eagles soared to six wins in the final seven Premier League matches last term.
Liverpool, West Ham United, Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa were all swept aside by Oliver Glasner’s side, who scored an incredible 20 goals in those half-dozen victories.
Central to the south London side’s strong finish to 2023/24 were England creative Eberechi Eze, France winger Michael Olise and his compatriot Jean-Philippe Mateta, who plundered 17 of those 20 goals between them.
With Eze and Olise terrorising full-backs on each wing and Mateta leading the line, Palace morphed into one of Europe’s top teams in the closing weeks of the campaign, culminating in a tenth-place finish.
When you consider Palace had won just one of their previous nine matches prior to that impressive run, the optimism that flowed into Selhurst Park as the season concluded was understandable.
However, today’s visitors have been unable to sustain that form.
Olise departed in the summer, joining Bayern Munich, while defensive leader Joachim Andersen was also allowed to leave, for Fulham, and both have proved difficult to replace.
Glasner’s former Eintracht Frankfurt schemer Daichi Kamada and ex-Watford wide man Ismaïla Sarr were signed from Lazio and Marseille respectively, but have so far failed to replicate Olise’s outstanding attacking output, while former Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has yet to hit prime form up front.
At the back, Moroccan Chadi Riad and Frenchman Maxence Lacroix have been respectable, but as yet not replicated Andersen’s consistent level of performance.
Eze has flashed his supreme ability, but elsewhere neither centre-back Marc Guéhi nor central midfielder Adam Wharton have so far not replicated the displays that saw both named in England’s squad for UEFA Euro 2024.
With Mateta scoring five goals in his 20 Premier League performances to date, compared to the nine he scored in Palace’s six top-flight wins at the end of last season, the overall result has been Glasner’s side finding victories hard to come by.
In their opening 20 games, Palace scored just 21 goals and won just four times, albeit they did draw on nine occasions, leaving them looking nervously over their shoulders at the relegation zone just a few places below them.
While the Eagles should have more than enough quality to stay clear of the battle to stay up, and in Glasner they have a manager who led Eintracht past West Ham on the way to winning the UEFA Europa League in 2022, there has so far been a feeling that Palace have markedly underachieved to this point.
The experienced Austrian and his big players, namely Eze, Guéhi, Wharton and Mateta, need to rediscover the formula that made them world-beaters in the spring, if they are to replicate their strong end to the season again in 2024/25.
Previous Meetings…
West Ham and Crystal Palace have met 69 times in all competitions to date.
The Hammers edge the overall head-to-head record, with 26 wins to Crystal Palace’s 19, including the 2-0 win secured by Tomáš Souček and Jarrod Bowen goals at Selhurst Park at the end of August, in addition to 24 draws.
However, the Eagles boast a good run of form when visiting east London, having lost only two out of their eight Premier League fixtures at London Stadium, with our last home win against Palace coming in December 2018 when Robert Snodgrass, Javier Hernández and Felipe Anderson netted in a frantic 3-2 win.
The Irons’ record win over Crystal Palace came back in March 1923, when we were 5-1 victors on the road.
Match Officials...
Referee: Thomas Bramall
Assistant Referees: Ian Hussin and James Mainwaring
Fourth Official: Oli Langford
VAR: Alex Chilowicz
Assistant VAR: Matthew Wilkes
Thomas Bramall has been confirmed as the referee for West Ham United’s Premier League clash at home at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Born in Sheffield, former schoolteacher Bramall was promoted to Select Group One in 2022. He has been taking charge of matches in the English top-flight since the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
In total, he has been the man in the middle 21 times in the Premier League, and two of those games have involved the Hammers - the 3-2 defeat away at London neighbours Brentford in early November 2023 and the 2-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest in February 2024.
Bramall refereed two West Ham cup games in 2022/23 - a penalty-shootout exit at the third-round stage of the EFL Cup, at home to Blackburn Rovers in November 2022 and a 2-0 win away at Derby County in the fourth round of the FA Cup in January 2023.
He has been the fourth official at seven West Ham matches—including the 2-1 win over Manchester United at London Stadium in October this term.
Earlier in his career, Bramall enjoyed his first Wembley appearance as referee of the 2022 FA Trophy final, which saw Bromley edge out Wrexham in front of over 46,000 fans, and he later gained valuable experience in the Japanese J1 League in March 2023 and as a fourth official in the UEFA Champions League in July 2024.
For more information about the officials, click HERE.
