Barclays Premier League
West Ham United v Burnley
Boleyn Ground
Saturday 28 November 2009
3pm
Referee: Chris Foy
• West Ham United return to league action for the first time since the 3-3 draw with Hull City last weekend. The Hammers have lost just once in their last five games but know a win over Burnley is important before the visit of champions Manchester United next weekend.
• West Ham are looking for their second home league win of the season, having triumphed 2-1 against Aston Villa on 8 November. The Hammers also beat Millwall 3-1 in the League Cup in August.
• West Ham United manager Gianfranco Zola said: "I am very encouraged by the desire in my squad and I can sense that we are very close to be where we want to be. We are out of the bottom three and a victory on Saturday will help us to focus on the next step. We just need to keep working and the rewards will come our way. I can feel it, I can sense it."
• Saturday's meeting will be the first between the sides since a Championship match in April 2005 and the first in the Premier League.
• West Ham have enjoyed an excellent run of form against the Clarets, with seven wins and two draws from their last nine meetings. That run means you have to go back 31 years to find Burnley's last victory over their hosts on Saturday - a 3-2 win at Turf Moor on September 1978.
• When asked if West Ham's league position surprised him, Burnley manager Owen Coyle said: "Nothing surprises me in this Premier League. It is so competitive. You only have to look just now with Everton down in amongst the group of teams - although David Moyes will sort them out and they will finish well up the league. Nobody would have expected that but it is because of injuries and that can happen to anyone in this league."
• Burnley will be looking for their first away win of the season having picked up just one point from their first six away games.
• West Ham United go into the weekend's game in 17th place, with eleven points from 13 matches. Burnley are six points and seven places ahead but have a goal difference of minus ten - six worse than the Hammers.
• This will be the 71st league meeting between the clubs, West Ham have won 25 with 16 draws.
Last time out
Saturday 21 November
Barclays Premier League
Hull City 3-3 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, Faubert, Da Costa, Upson, Gabbidon, Collison. Parker, Behrami (Hines 60), Stansislas, Franco (Jimenez 70), Cole
Subs not used: Kurucz, Spector, Daprela, Kovac, Nouble
Goals: Franco 5, Collison 11, Da Costa 69
Saturday 21 November
Barclays Premier League
Burnley 1-1 Aston Villa
Burnley: Jensen, Mears, Jordan, Carlisle, Bikey, Caldwell, Eagles (McDonald, 69), Alexander , Elliott, Blake (Gudjonsson,81), Steven Fletcher (Nugent,75)
Subs not used: Thompson, Duff, Penny, Guerrero
Goal: Caldwell 9
Last meeting
The last meeting between the two sides was a 1-0 win to the Hammers at Turf Moor on 5 April 2005, when Teddy Sheringham got the only goal seven minutes from time.
The teams that day were:
Burnley: Coyne, Sinclair (Grant 87), McGreal, Cahill, Camara, Oster (Valois 83), Micah Hyde, O'Connor, Branch (Duff 75), Bowditch, Akinbiyi
Subs not used: Roche, Jensen
West Ham United: Walker, Ward, Repka, Ferdinand, Powell, Newton, Reo-Coker, Mullins (Fletcher 76), Noble (Etherington 76), Sheringham, Harewood (Zamora 85)
Subs not used: Bywater, Williams
Goal: Sheringham 83
Head to head
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
5 April 2005 Burnley 0-1 West Ham United (Championship)
28 August 2004 West Ham United 1-0 Burnley (Championship)
2 March 2004 Burnley 1-1 West Ham United (Championship)
18 October 2003 West Ham United 2-2 Burnley (Championship)
2 September 1980 West Ham United 4-0 Burnley (League Cup)
26 August 1980 Burnley 0-2 West Ham United (League Cup)
Overall record v Burnley (all competitions) W29 D16 L29
Next up
West Ham United welcome champions Manchester United to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday 5 December. Burnley travel to the south coast to play Portsmouth on the same day.
Referee
• Saturday's referee will be Chris Foy
• Not to be confused with the Australian actor of the same name, Foy will be taking charge of West Ham United for the fourth time this season.
• The 47-year-old official was the man in the middle for the Hammers' opening-day 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, the 3-1 loss at Manchester City and the 2-2 home draw with Arsenal, when he appeared as a late replacement for Steve Bennett.
• Foy, who was born in St Helens, Merseyside, has been a Barclays Premier League referee since 2001, having originally made the Select Group list of assistant referees in 1995.
• In 2007, Foy officiated the FA Trophy final at Wembley, before returning to the Home of Football a year later to act as fourth official for Portsmouth's FA Cup final victory over Cardiff City.
• Foy has also served as referee in two of Burnley's league matches this season - a 3-1 home win over Sunderland and a 3-2 defeat by Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.
West Ham United
• West Ham United will be hoping to continue the run of form that has seen them lose just once in their last five games.
• The Hammers' minus four goal difference tells its own story when compared to the teams around them in the league table. Indeed, the east Londoners have lost by more than one goal just once in the league this season - the 3-1 defeat at Manchester City in September.
• Hanging on to leads is crucial if they are to pick up their second home win in three games. Three times they have failed to convert a two-goal lead into a win so far this season.
• West Ham have scored 19 goals this season with nine different scorers registering. Carlton Cole leads the way (six), with Matthew Upson (two), Guile Franco (two), Alessandro Diamanti (two), Manuel da Costa, Mark Noble, Zavon Hines, Jack Collison and Junior Stanislas also registering.
• Cole is West Ham's top scorer this season with six goals in 12 league games. The England striker has scored 13 goals in 24 Premier League games since Boxing Day 2008, all from open play.
• Diamanti has more assists (three) than any other West Ham player.
• Noble has put in more crosses (15) than anyone else for the Hammers.
• If selected, it will be Cole's 100th start in the league.
• Noble is in line to play his 100th game for the club, if selected.
• Junior Stanislas celebrated his 20th birthday on Thursday, while Radoslav Kovac turned 30 on Friday.
• West Ham United's record home win over Burnley came on 26 August 1968, when a Martin Peters goal and braces from Geoff Hurst and Trevor Brooking secured a 5-0 win that briefly sent the Hammers to the top of the table.
Burnley
• Burnley will be looking for their first away maximum of the season at the seventh time of asking. However, their solitary point away from Turf Moor came in their last away game - the thrilling 3-3 draw with Manchester City on 7 November.
• They have managed just five goals away from home with three arriving courtesy of the stalemate at Eastlands.
• Their home form is a different story, with five wins and a draw from their first seven at Turf Moor.
• Defender Graham Alexander is the Clarets' top scorer in the league this season with four goals to his name. Alexander has scored three penalties - the joint highest in the league along with Frank Lampard.
• If the full-back makes it five on Saturday, it will be the 100th league goal of his career.
• Burnley's record win at the Boleyn Ground came on 31 May 1947, when they left east London with a 5-0 victory.
Team news
• Gianfranco Zola has had some good news on the injury-front in the run up to the game with Herita Ilunga and Kieron Dyer among those back in full training. Dyer particularly will be in his thoughts after scoring twice in the reserves' 5-2 win against Stoke City on Tuesday.
• Herita Ilunga, James Tomkins and Mark Noble are also in contention after returning to full training. Alessandro Diamanti misses out as he has not recovered from his hip problem in time.
• Matthew Upson is ruled out with a hamstring injury so Scott Parker is likely to deputise as captain.
• Fabio Daprela, Holmar Eyjolfsson and Frank Nouble were among others who also caught the eye for the reserves at Bishop's Stortford and may be considered for the game. Josh Payne also played after returning from a loan at Colchester United and Bondz 'Gala is back from his temporary spell at Scunthorpe United.
• Luis Boa Morte (knee) is continuing his individual rehab programme and is still some months from a return. He has been back at Chadwell Heath this week. Dean Ashton and Calum Davenport have no date set for a possible return.
• Burnley are expected to name the same squad that faced Aston Villa last time out.
(More team news to follow later on Friday)
Old boys
• Burnley defender Tyrone Mears played six games during a one-season stay at the Boleyn Ground in 2006/07, before being sold to Derby County in July 2007.
• Other players to have represented both clubs include Ian Wright, David Unsworth, Reg Atwell, Frank Birchenough, Herman Conway, Tommy Green, Walter Pollard, Jack Tresadern and William Jenkinson.
General info
• For ticket information, click here.
• Saturday's weather forecast is for heavy rain showers and a top temperature of 9C.