MY ACCOUNT
West Ham’s climb up the Premier League table could continue when they face a Fulham side without a fully-fit Aleksandar Mitrovic to call upon for a capital clash at London Stadium on Sunday.
Mitrovic’s foot injury has rocked the Craven Cottage club after Marco Silva’s side had made an excellent start to the season.
Fulham’s 4-1 mauling at the hands of Newcastle exposed all sorts of flaws not previously evident, albeit the damage was done after they had been reduced to 10 men in the opening minutes.
West Ham, meanwhile, are enjoying the benefits of having their own talismanic frontman. Gianluca Scamacca scored his first Premier League goal of the season in the Hammers’ 2-0 win over Wolves last weekend with manager David Moyes stating the Italian is “doing a good job so far”.
Team news
Moyes revealed Maxwel Cornet will not be available to face Fulham after the ex-Burnley attacker picked up a calf strain against Wolves.
The Scotsman admitted that there were a few knocks and niggles elsewhere in his squad, but expressed the hope that they would have cleared up by Sunday.
Scamacca was rested from the start for the Europa Conference League clash against Anderlecht on Thursday and looks set to be restored up front with Moyes likely to revert to the majority of the XI that began last weekend’s win.
Pablo Fornals is expected to get the nod to replace Cornet on the left-hand side of attack.
Fulham boss Silva confirmed that Mitrovic is “a doubt” to face the Hammers after exacerbating his injury in their 4-1 defeat to Newcastle last Saturday, although he described it as “not really serious”.
The Serbian striker initially suffered a knock while playing for his country during September’s international break.
Kenny Tete will be assessed for a knock, while fellow full-back Antonee Robinson is struggling with a foot injury.
Nathaniel Chalobah is suspended after his eighth-minute red card last weekend, but Joao Palhinha returns following a ban.
The Portuguese international will line up in midfield, probably alongside Harrison Reed.
The stats
West Ham have won all six games that Scamacca has started so far this season – four in the Europa Conference League and two in the Premier League.
Of Jarrod Bowen’s 22 Premier League goals for West Ham, 18 have come in home games (82%) with only Georginio Wijnaldum (85%) and Michael Carrick (83%) having scored a higher share in home games than Bowen of players with more than 20 strikes.
Fulham have kept just one clean sheet in their 21 away top-flight matches against West Ham, conceding 49 goals in those other 20 games.
The only goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet for them away to the Hammers was Edwin van der Sar in a 2-0 win in November 2001.
Chalobah’s eighth-minute red card, upgraded from a sixth-minute caution following a VAR review, became the Whites’ quickest dismissal in the Premier League since Ian Pearce at Crystal Palace in October 2004 (sixth minute).
Prediction
West Ham’s fortunes are on the up again after back-to-back victories and the hosts should be able to handle a Fulham side with or without Mitrovic in attack.
With key individuals like Scamacca and Bowen currently on song, the Hammers are creating opportunities and finishing clinically.
Both Hammers forwards could find the back of the net against a Fulham side that has shipped eight in their last three league contests.
Four of Scamacca’s five goals in Claret and Blue have been openers, which is worth bearing in mind when assessing the value of his 4/1 quote to be this contest’s first goalscorer.
