West Ham United v Wigan Athletic
Barclays Premier League
Boleyn Ground
Saturday 27 November 2010
3pm
Referee: Mark Halsey
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Introduction
• West Ham United welcome Wigan Athletic searching for a much-needed first win in eight Barclays Premier League matches since a 1-0 defeat of Tottenham Hotspur on 25 September. Wigan have one just once in seven top-flight outings.
• The Hammers have actually only lost three times in a dozen matches in all competitions - including away days at Arsenal and Liverpool.
• The Hammers were 3-2 winners in a survival battle against Wigan Athletic in this fixture last season on 24 April 2010. Then, as now, it came seven days after a 3-0 defeat at Liverpool without Scott Parker. The Hammer of the Year's absence at Anfield last Saturday was his first match missed since that previous day at the Reds.
• Wigan are the only club that West Ham have faced in each of the last seven seasons, as they were also in the Championship in 2003/04 and 2004/05 before gaining promotion to the top-flight alongside the Hammers in May 2005.
• This is the 15th league meeting between the two sides. West Ham have won seven, Wigan have won five and there have been two draws.
• There has never been a goalless draw between the clubs.
Last time out
Saturday 20 November 2010
Barclays Premier League
Liverpool 3-0 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, Gabbidon, Jacobsen, Upson, Ilunga (Tomkins 76), Kovac, Noble, Boa Morte, Piquionne, Cole (McCarthy 69), Obinna (Barrera 45)
Subs not used: Stech, Spector, Reid, Nouble
Saturday 20 November 2010
Barclays Premier League
Manchester United 2-0 Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic: Al Habsi, Gohouri, Stam (Di Santo 80), Figueroa, Alcaraz (sent off 59), Caldwell, 'Zogbia (McArthur 80), Diame, Gomez (Moses 58), Thomas, Rodallega (sent off 61)
Subs not used: Pollitt, Watson, Boselli, McManaman
Last meeting
Last season's meeting at the Boleyn Ground was arguably the most memorable match of the Hammers' campaign. Scott Parker hit the decisive goal on 77 minutes to settle a five-goal thriller. Jonathan Spector scored an own goal on four minutes before Ilan's headed equaliser on 31 minutes. Radoslav Kovac put the Hammers in front on the stroke of half-time before Hugo Rodallega's 52nd-minute goal.
West Ham United: Green, Upson, Spector, Da Costa, Parker, Kovac, Noble (Daprela 89), Behrami, Faubert, Cole, Ilan (Franco 71)
Subs not used: Kurucz, Gabbidon, Diamanti, Stanislas, McCarthy
Wigan Athletic: Kirkland, Bramble, Caldwell, Melchiot, Figueroa, Watson, 'Zogbia (Scharner 89), Diame (Scotland 89), McCarthy, Rodallega, Moreno (Moses 38)
Subs not used: Stojkovic, Gohouri, Sinclair, Boyce
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
24 April 2010 - West Ham United 3-2 Wigan Athletic
12 September 2009 - Wigan Athletic 1-0 West Ham United
4 March 2009 - Wigan Athletic 0-1 West Ham United
16 August 2008 - West Ham United 2-1 Wigan Athletic
2 February 2008 - Wigan Athletic 1-0 West Ham United
25 August 2007 - West Ham United 1-1 Wigan Athletic
Overall record v Wigan Athletic (all competitions) W 9 D 2 L 5
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted to Premier League via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th (53 points)
2000/01 Premier League 15th (42 points)
Wigan Athletic
2009/10 Premier League 16th (36 points)
2008/09 Premier League 11th (45 points)
2007/08 Premier League 14th (40 points)
2006/07 Premier League 16th (38 points)
2005/06 Premier League 10th (51 points)
2004/05 Championship 2nd (87 points - promoted to Premier League)
2003/04 Championship 7th (71 points)
2002/03 League One 1st (100 points - promoted to Championship)
2001/02 Championship 10th (64 points)
2000/01 Championship 6th (75 points)
Referee
• Saturday's referee will be Mark Halsey
• He played semi-professional football for Barnet and St Albans City in the 1980s before becoming a referee in the early 1990s. At the time, he would continue to train with Barnet and later Potters Bar in order to maintain his fitness.
• Halsey was the referee for the 2007 Community Shield between Chelsea and Manchester United and the 2008 Carling Cup final contested by Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
• Although this is his first Hammers match of the season, Halsey took charge of Wigan's 4-0 opening-day defeat at home to Blackpool and 2-2 draw at Newcastle United on 16 October.
West Ham United
• Carlton Cole, with one goal so far this campaign, made his 100th start for West Ham United in all competitions at Anfield last week.
• No Barclays Premier League player has had more shots without scoring this season than Victor Obinna (39).
• No team has been caught offside more than West Ham this season with the Hammers falling foul of the referee's assistant on 48 occasions.
• Radoslav Kovac, a scorer in that 3-2 win last season, will celebrate his 31st birthday on Saturday.
Wigan Athletic
• Wigan have had more shots per goal than any other team (18.90) in the top-flight this season.
• No team have scored fewer away goals this season than Wigan.
Team news
West Ham United
• Manager Avram Grant is definitely without Thomas Hitzlsperger (thigh) and Jack Collison (knee). Collison is hoping to return around the turn of the year, Hitzlsperger has a February comeback date having had surgery on his torn muscle.
• Manuel da Costa has had surgery a fortnight ago on an ankle injury and is likely to be missing for up to three months as a result of the problem, which followed a late Cesc Fabregas foul away to Arsenal.
• Mark Noble has been ruled out for the rest of the year with a hip injury suffered in the last minute at Anfield. Kieron Dyer will also miss out on Saturday as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
• All other members of the squad could potentially be involved.
• Scott Parker is hoping to be back from a chest infection that cost him his place at Liverpool last season.
• Zavon Hines played 70 minutes for the reserves in the goalless draw at Aston Villa on Monday, his second run-out in a week.
• Robert Green will hope to maintain his ever-present record this season in the Barclays Premier League. Green is on a run of 140 consecutive league starts for the club. Frederic Piquionne is the only other player to have featured in all 14 top-flight games this campaign.
• Tal Ben Haim, Junior Stanislas, Junior Faubert and Valon Behrami have all been working hard to return to fitness at Chadwell Heath this week.
• Freddie Sears has extended his loan spell at Championship side Scunthorpe United until 3 January 2011.
Wigan Athletic
• Hugo Rodallega and Antolin Alcararaz are both suspended after their red cards at Old Trafford last Saturday. The latter was the only player to have started their first 14 matches of the season. Hendry Thomas, Rodallega, Ronnie Stam and Mohamed Diame have all featured in every match so far.
• Goalkeeper Chris Kirkland has joined Leicester City on loan.
• Wigan are also set to be without Emmerson Boyce and Jamie McCarthy. Gary Caldwell may recover from injury to feature, however.
Old boys
• Among the players who have represented both clubs are Roy Carroll, Henri Camara and Bill Wade.
Next up
Both teams are in Carling Cup quarter-final action on Tuesday. West Ham United welcome Manchester United to the Boleyn Ground, while Wigan Athletic travel to Arsenal.
General information
• For ticket information, click here.
• Saturday's weather forecast in east London is for a cold day with some sunshine. Temperatures will peak around the 3C mark.