Barclays Premier League
Hull City v West Ham United
Kingston Communications Stadium
Saturday 21 November
3pm
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
* West Ham United travel to Hull City for their seventh away fixture of the 2009/10 Barclays Premier League season. An away win would move the Hammers above their hosts and out of the bottom-three, barring an emphatic win for Wolverhampton Wanderers at Chelsea. A win could take West Ham as high as 15th in the table.
* Zola said: "It is a massive game not only for the points, but for the confidence and for many reasons. The good thing is that all the players know that and I know that. We are aware. Sometimes in football you do everything correctly and the result doesn't come and then all of a sudden when you are not playing as well the result will come. It is a very close balance and I am expecting that moment to happen soon."
* West Ham go into Saturday's game seeking to bounce back after undeservedly losing out 2-1 at home to Everton in their final game before the international break on Sunday 8 November. Prior to that, the Hammers had gone three league matches unbeaten.
* Hull, in contrast, ended a run of three league matches without a win by defeating Stoke City 2-1 at the KC Stadium last time out on Sunday 8 November.
* West Ham's last and only visit to the KC Stadium took place on 19 October 2008. Michael Turner's header was the only difference between the two sides in a 1-0 win for the Tigers.
* The last time West Ham won in Hull was more than 50 years ago in the 1954/55 season. John Bond scored in a 1-0 win at Boothferry Park.
* West Ham are looking for their second away league win of the season, having triumphed 2-0 at newly-promoted Wolves on the opening Saturday of the season.
* If Mark Noble is selected, he will be making his 100th league appearance for West Ham. Noble spent three months on loan at Hull at the end of the 2005/06 season, playing five times for the Tigers.
Last meeting
* West Ham United beat Hull City 2-0 at the Boleyn Ground on 28 January 2009. David Di Michele opened the scoring after 33 minutes before Carlton Cole doubled the lead on 51 minutes. Noble also saw a penalty saved by Tigers goalkeeper Matt Duke.
* The two teams that day were:
West Ham United: Green, Neill, Collins, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami, Parker, Collison (Faubert 71), Noble (Boa Morte 84), Di Michele (Savio 86), Cole
Subs not used: Lastuvka, Tristan, Tomkins, Sears
Goals: Di Michele 33, Cole 51
Hull City: Duke, Ricketts, Turner, Zayatte, Dawson, Marney (Mendy 73), Ashbee, Kilbane, Geovanni (Bullard 53), Cousin, Manucho (Fagan 53)
Subs not used: Myhill, Garcia, Halmosi, Folan
Last time out
Sunday 8 November
West Ham United 1-2 Everton
West Ham United: Green, Faubert, Da Costa, Upson, Spector, Behrami, Parker, Collison (Stanislas 46), Jimenez (Diamanti 57), Franco, Hines
Subs not used: Kurucz, Tomkins, Daprela, Noble, Nouble
Goal: Hibbert 65 (og)
Sunday 8 November
Hull City 2-1 Stoke City
Hull City: Duke, Gardner, Dawson, Zayatte, Fagan (Boateng 89), Olofinjana, Garcia (Barmby 52), Mendy, Hunt, Bullard, Altidore (Vennegoor of Hesselink 83),
Subs not used: Warner, Kilbane, McShane, Ghilas
Goals: Olofinjana 62, Vennegoor of Hesselink 90
Head to head
Last six meetings
28 January 2009 - West Ham United 2-0 Hull City
19 October 2008 - Hull City 1-0 West Ham United
23 March 1991 - Hull City 0-0 West Ham United
6 October 1990 - West Ham United 7-1 Hull City
20 January 1990 - West Ham United 1-2 Hull City
2 February 1989 - Hull City 1-1 West Ham United
Overall record v Hull City (all competitions): W 14, D 13, L 10
Referee
* Saturday's referee will be Mark Clattenburg.
* The 34-year-old was the man in the middle for the Championship play-off semi-final first leg in May 2004 when Ipswich Town won 1-0 against the visiting West Ham United. He has been on the Premier League list since 2004.
* Clattenburg was in charge when Tottenham Hotspur visited the Boleyn Ground on Sunday 23 August.
* He was also referee when Hull City beat Wigan Athletic 2-1 at the KC Stadium on 3 October.
West Ham United
* Robert Green is in line to make his 101st consecutive Barclays Premier League start for West Ham United at Hull City.
* Cole is West Ham's top scorer this season with six goals in eleven league games. The England striker has scored 13 goals in 23 Premier League games since Boxing Day 2008, all from open play.
* Jonathan Spector lined up alongside Hull forward Jozy Altidore in the United States' starting XI in their 3-1 friendly defeat in Denmark on Wednesday.
* West Ham have won four times at Hull, but never by more than a single goal. The Hammers' best performance came at Anlaby Road on 28 March 1936, when Peter Simpson, Len Goulden and Jimmy Ruffell netted in a 3-2 victory that took the club top of Division Two.
* Winger Junior Stanislas, who has been away on England Under-21 duty during the international break, turns 20 next Friday.
Hull City
* Geovanni is Hull City's top scorer this season with three goals in 12 Barclays Premier League appearances. The Brazilian has also scored once in the Carling Cup. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Stephen Hunt have each netted twice in the league.
* Hull's biggest home win over West Ham came on 17 September 1934. The Tigers ran out 4-0 victors at Anlaby Road.
Team news
* Gianfranco Zola will welcome back Carlton Cole to his squad after the England striker missed the home defeat by Everton with a minor hamstring injury suffered in the victory over Aston Villa on 4 November.
* Left-back Herita Ilunga, who also suffered a hamstring problem against Villa, is doubtful after missing the Everton fixture.
* Alessandro Diamanti is out with a slight hip problem suffered in training.
* Junior Stanislas has returned to full training this week after being forced to come home from England Under-21 duty with a virus. The winger was joined in training by Kieron Dyer and Danny Gabbidon.
* James Tomkins, who was also ruled out of England U21 duty with a minor leg injury, is facing a race against time to be fit for the trip to Hull.
* Long-term absentees Luis Boa Morte (knee), Calum Davenport (leg) and Dean Ashton (ankle) are all ruled out.
* Hull goalkeeper Boaz Myhill is rated as doubtful for Saturday's match with a knee injury.
* Long-term Tigers captain Ian Ashbee is out until the New Year with torn knee ligaments.
Old boys
* West Ham United midfielder Mark Noble played five matches on loan at Hull City at the end of the 2005/06 season.
* Hull City forward Richard Garcia was part of the West Ham United side that lifted the FA Youth Cup in 1999. The 27-year-old Australian played 22 times for the Hammers before joining Colchester United for a nominal fee in September 2004. Garcia moved on to Hull City in July 2007, helping the club gain promotion to the Premier League in his first season at the KC Stadium.
* Jimmy Bullard spent an early part of his career with West Ham United but failed to make a first-team appearance for the club before leaving for Peterborough United in May 2001.
* Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Tommy Brandon, Roy Carroll, Alf Fenwick, Cliff Hubbard, Stuart Pearson and Tony Weldon.
General information
Tickets are now sold out for this game. For details of getting to the Kingston Communications Stadium, click here.
The weather forecast for Saturday is for light rain and a top temperature of around 12C.