West Ham vs Brentford. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats, and more
West Ham United FC will host Brentford FC in the English Premier League 26th round match at the London Stadium. The fixture will take place on Tuesday, February 27, beginning at 01:30 IST.
Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.
West Ham News & Current Form:
Occupying only 9th place in the Premier League at the moment, West Ham are not living up to the fans’ expectations at all this season. Nevertheless, the hosts can still hope to get into the European Cup zone: the gap from sixth-placed Manchester United FC is 8 points (and they have played a game less).
During the winter, the Hammers are experiencing bad times and have not yet won the EPL since the beginning of 2024 (3 draws and 3 defeats). For instance, recently the Londoners have suffered three unsuccessful matches – with MU (3:0), Arsenal FC (0:6) and Nottingham Forest FC (2:0) over the last weekend. In the current championship, Moyes’ wards have already had one such series. But the club has not scored in three consecutive matches for the first time since the August of 2022. Also West Ham are not too successful at their home stadium: in 12 home games they have collected only 19 points (10th in the division), scored 18 goals, conceded 17.
Such results have led to renewed talk that it is time for the current head coach of the team to retire. David Moyes took charge of the Hammers in December of 2019. Under him, West Ham have been steadily progressing. The Londoners managed to finish in 6th position in the EPL for the first time since 1999, and also became triumphants of the UEFA Europa Conference League last season.
And now Moyes has something to be proud of. His charges reached the 1/8 finals of the UEFA Europa League and will meet with SC Freiburg in two weeks, and in December they beat the Gunners and the Red Devils. But it is worth it for the team to plunge into crisis, as again there are rumors about the imminent retirement of the Scotsman.
In the upcoming matches, Moyes will have an opportunity to improve their position in the Premier League table, as his charges will meet Brentford, Everton FC and Burnley FC. Without any doubt, these matches will be decisive for the Scottish mentor at the head of the capital team.
Crucial player for West Ham United FC – Lucas Paqueta – has a chance to return to the squad in the upcoming game
However, the coach has some excuses for the poor start to the new year. The team suffered personnel losses, and the club’s management reacted rather sluggishly to them. West Ham still have to do without playmaker Lucas Paqueta, who has not fully recovered from injury. In addition, midfielder Kalvin Phillips, on loan from Manchester City this winter, is suspended after receiving a red card in the match against Nottingham Forest.
Striker Michail Antonio, who has recovered from a long-term injury, joined the team last weekend and immediately earned a place in the starting lineup. Jarrod Bowen (11 goals) and Mohammed Kudus (6 goals) are likely to appear on the flanks, while Tomas Soucek is likely to be in charge of the backline.
Forward Bowen about playing against Brentford and the importance of home stadium atmosphere:
“Everyone’s upset with the way things have gone recently. We all know that we have to stand up and confront these tough spells, because it’s down to us to change it.”
“We know it’s going to be a tough game. Ivan Toney has looked good since he came back from his ban, and they’re always very disciplined and well organized. We’ve done our preparation, and I think we have a good idea of what we can do and what they can do. I think a lot of it is about mindset now and fighting to win games, and I’m confident we have the tools to get over the line.”
“We’ve nearly got a full squad now, which is massive, especially with Europe coming up as well. We’ve got a lot of games so we need that strength in depth, and we feel like we’re almost at our best again now. It’s nice knowing that we’ve got a run at home. The atmosphere we know we can create makes it hard for visiting teams, but it is up to us players to create it.”
Brentford News & Current Form:
Lost in the bottom half of the standings, Brentford sit in a modest 15th place in the Premier League. They have 25 points, which is only five more than Luton Town FC from the relegation zone. So a couple more failures could drop the collective from London quite low in the table.
The team of Thomas Frank must remain vigilant, given the poor recent form: in the last 11 rounds the Bees suffered 9 defeats with 2 wins. After a 0:2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, Brentford lost 1:4 to Liverpool FC last weekend and then lost 1:0 to Manchester City in midweek – all decided by the only goal of Erling Haaland in the second half.
The London team also lost in the three previous capital derbies in the Premier League, and in general, the Red and Blacks can not please the fans with a victory in the last 14 derbies, and, of course, the players are under pressure to achieve a positive result on Tuesday. At the same time, the team have picked up just 10 points in 12 EPL away games, scoring 13 goals and conceding 17.
The Bees were famous for their defense last season. It was thanks to their solid performance in defense that they finished in 9th place, only two points behind the European Cup zone. Until now Thomas Frank’s wards conceded 44 goals, while in the last championship they had 46 goals for the whole tournament.
In the upcoming match Brentford will be missing several players due to injuries: key striker Bryan Mbeumo (7 goals and 3 assists), defenders Ethan Pinnock, Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry, as well as Josh Dasilva and Kevin Schade. Englishman Ivan Toney is in good shape after a long suspension, scoring four goals in the last six rounds, he is assisted in attack by Yoane Wissa (4 goals) and Neal Maupay (5 goals and 3 assists).
Ivan Toney has performed spectacularly since his return – he scored 4 goals in the 6 last rounds of EPL
Left-back Sergio Reguilón arrived at the club this winter and quickly established himself in the starting lineup, his appearance on the flank of the defense should not be surprising. In general, Thomas Frank is expected to field almost the same lineup as last round.
West Ham form guide: L-D-D-L-L-L
Brentford form guide: W-L-L-W-L-L
West Ham vs Brentford Head-To-Head Record:
| West Ham | Draw | Brentford |
| 23 | 11 | 20 |
- January 7, 2023: Brentford 0 – 1 West Ham (FA Cup);
- May 14, 2023: Brentford 2 – 0 West Ham (Premier League);
- November 4, 2023: Brentford 3 – 2 West Ham (Premier League).
West Ham vs Brentford Predicted XI:
West Ham’s possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Soucek, Alvarez; Paqueta, Ward-Prowse, Kudus; Bowen.
Brentford’s possible starting lineup (3-5-2): Flekken; Jorgensen, Ajer, Mee; Roerslev, Onyeka, Norgaard, Janelt, Reguilon; Toney, Maupay.
Statistical preview of the match West Ham vs Brentford:
- West Ham’s First XI average age is 29.0 years, Brentford’s First XI average age is 28.8 years.
- The total value of West Ham’s squad is 440 mln euros, while the total of Brentford comes up to 407 mln euros.
- Simon Hooper has been appointed as the center referee. The referee has already served 21 games this season, showing an average of 4.6 Yellow Cards and also whistles 23 fouls per game.
- West Ham can not win for eight matches, taking into account different tournaments and competitions. In the EPL the team has not won since the 28th of December.
- The xG rating signals that West Ham have an average of 1.28 expected goals per match, while Brentford have an average of 1.54.
- The home side possesses the ball on average 42.34% of the match’s playing time, while the visitors have 44.44%.
- The Hammers are caught offside an average of 1.55 times per match, while the Bees average 1.75.
- West Ham take an average of 11.45 shots on opponents’ goal per game and hit the goalpost for 3.75 times per game, while Brentford make 12.15 shots and hit the gate for 4.25 times.
- In matches involving each of the teams recorded an average of 3.2 goals scored. In the first round, the vis-a-vis have scored five goals with their combined efforts.
- West Ham serve an average of 4.2 corners per game, and Brentford – 4.55.
- West Ham United collect an average of 2.25 yellow cards per game, while Brentford collect an average of 2.3.
What has been said before the match:
Gaffer of the Hammers David Moyes about the return of Ivan Toney and playing in European Cups:
“Brentford have always been a really tough opponent. Thomas Frank has done a really good job but you have to think that we’re quite a few points above them, so we must be doing something right.
“The games I’ve seen Ivan Toney play, he’s played really well. He’s been a big, big player for Brentford – I’ve been really impressed by his performances, I’ve been impressed by his football intellect. The way he goes about his performance has been very good. He’s missed a lot of football, but he’s come back in very good condition.”
“The good thing about it is that we’ve always known that we’ve got European football after Christmas. It’s the third year in a row that we’ve done it and we’re really pleased to have it.”
“Once you get this far, you’re just hoping you can try to get through the next round and see what that brings up. We’ve had a brilliant few years in Europe, so we’ll enjoy this one as well. I hope it keeps busy near the end of the season, because that’ll mean we’ve got more European football. So that’s what we’re hoping for.”
Thomas Frank, main coach of Brentford FC, about a spell every team goes throughout the season:
“The only thing I know is that that is history. We have a game ahead of us on Monday night, it’s going to be very difficult against a good team, good players, and a very good, experienced manager.”
“It’s the next game ahead for both teams, so it’s big! We always want to go out there and get three points, we always want to go out there and perform. Every team has a spell throughout the season when they’re not perfect, maybe West Ham are going through that spell now. I think Moyes has done fantastically.”
West Ham vs Brentford Prediction:
The rivals are approaching the face-off not in their best form. West Ham are winless in eight consecutive matches, and the last defeat from Arsenal turned out to be the biggest on their field in the history of the club in the Premier League (0:6). The Hammers have failed to score in three subsequent games in the championship. The anticipated return of the team’s main creator, Lucas Paquetá, inspires hope of breaking this frustrating trend.
Brentford’s situation is also bleak: four defeats in the last five rounds of the EPL. Although unlike their upcoming vis-a-vis, the Bees are efficient in attack. The return of Ivan Toney has greatly benefited the team from London, as they have scored against all opponents except Manchester City: an average of 1.4 goals over the last ten matches. But the problems in defense are palpable – 23 conceded in the same stretch.
With such a background, it’s complicated to favor any of the teams. The statistics are on the Bees’ side: Brentford have won all five previous derbies against West Ham at the English Premier League level. At the London Olympic Stadium, the Red and Whites are likely to play more unleashed than at the Etihad. Firstly, the caliber of the opposition is completely different, and secondly, men of Thomas Frank desperately need a win. The chance to take 3 points to move away from the relegation zone against a struggling side should be taken advantage of. At the same time, the same motivation is true for the home team: they need to get out of their slump in the Foggy Albion. We expect open and goal-rich football. Teams should look for their own up front, and it’s hard to find reasons to hunker down in their own thirds. On average 3.2 goals are scored in matches involving each team. In the first round, the vis-a-vis have scored five goals with their combined efforts. We’ll likely see an exchange of goals this Monday night.
Parimatch News staff prediction:
We say: the match total will be over 2.5 and both teams will score – Yes.
Don`t miss out 👉: Top 5 Key Overseas Players for WPL 2024 ft. Lanning, Mooney, etc.