West Ham United v Fulham
Barclays Premier League
Saturday 2 October - 3pm
FULL LIVE AUDIO COMMENTARY AVAILABLE VIA WHUTV
Introduction• West Ham United are seeking to extend their unbeaten run to four matches in all competitions when they welcome Fulham to the Boleyn Ground. The Hammers drew 1-1 at Stoke City on Saturday 18 September before winning 2-1 at Sunderland in the Carling Cup third round on Tuesday 21 September. Last weekend, Tottenham Hotspur were beaten 1-0 at the Boleyn Ground as West Ham climbed off the bottom of the Barclays Premier League table.
• Both clubs have new managers from the summer. Avram Grant's arrival at the Hammers was followed quickly by Mark Hughes replacing Roy Hodgson at Craven Cottage.
• It has been a good week for the Hammers with Scott Parker, Carlton Cole and Mark Noble representing the club at No10 Downing Street on Thursday to hand in the club's formal bid for the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games. The club - in partnership with Newham Council - propose a 60,000-seater stadium that would have multi-sport use and be of lasting benefit to the wider community in east London.
• Fulham remain unbeaten in their opening six Premier League matches, drawing five of them. The Cottagers go into this weekend's game seventh in the table, having collected eight points.
• Avram Grant's side face Stoke City at home in the Carling Cup fourth round on Wednesday 27 October. Ticket prices have again been slashed by the club, with season ticket holders able to secure their seat for just £15 for adults and £5 for children. Non-season ticket holders can buy their seat for £20 for adults and £10 for children.
• If selected, Fulham's Damien Duff will be making his 300th appearance in the Barclays Premier League. Team-mate Danny Murphy is on 48 goals.
• Freddie Piquionne was presented with a Nike golden ball on Friday after last Saturday heading in the 10,000th goal scored with a Nike ball in the Barclays Premier League.
• West Ham have not lost at home to Fulham in the Premier League since 3 November 2001. Since then, the Hammers are unbeaten in six meetings, winning three of them. During that run, however, the Cottagers did leave the Boleyn Ground with a 3-0 FA Cup fifth-round replay victory in February 2004.
• West Ham have won eight of the 14 all-time Premier League meetings between the two clubs, losing just two.
• Saturday's is the 77th league meeting between the two sides. West Ham have won 34, Fulham have won 25 and there have been 17 draws.
Team news
West Ham United
• It remains to be seen if Kieron Dyer will be involved after being forced off during last weekend's victory over Tottenham Hotspur due to a stomach upset.
• Herita Ilunga has returned to full training this week and could be in contention for selection.
• Winston Reid and Jonathan Spector have both been nursing dead legs suffered in Tuesday's Barclays Premier Reserve League victory over Wigan Athletic. Both were expected to return to full training on Friday.
• Robert Green, Matthew Upson, Scott Parker and Mark Noble will all hope to maintain their ever-present records this season in the Premier League. Green is on a run of 132 consecutive league starts for the club.
• Benni McCarthy could appear for the first time since the Carling Cup second-round victory over Oxford United on 24 August after working hard on his fitness. The striker scored and completed a full 90 minutes in Tuesday's reserve win over Wigan, when James Tomkins and Junior Stanislas, who was also on target, featured.
• The Hammers will again be without Thomas Hitzlsperger after the 28-year-old suffered a thigh muscle injury during Germany's international friendly draw in Denmark on 11 August.
• Valon Behrami suffered a medial knee ligament injury in the 1-1 draw at Stoke City a fortnight ago and is definitely out.
• Peter Kurucz, Jack Collison, who is 22 on Saturday, Zavon Hines and Anthony Edgar on the long-term injured list are all recovering from knee surgery. Kurucz and Edgar have recently undergone surgery, while Collison and Hines are regular visitors to Chadwell Heath as they continue their rehabilitation.
Fulham
• Fulham could welcome back England striker Andrew Johnson. The No8 has been ruled out since January with a serious knee injury. Johnson's last appearance came against Blackburn Rovers on 17 January 2010.
• Belgium striker Moussa Dembele, who has netted three times in his opening six appearances since arriving at Fulham in the summer, is expected to miss out with an ankle injury suffered in the Carling Cup third-round defeat at Stoke City on 21 September.
• Former West Ham United striker Bobby Zamora will definitely miss Saturday's game after suffering a broken leg against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 11 September. Zamora, who was recently capped by England for the first time, is expected to be sidelined for at least four months.
• New signing Philippe Senderos will be out of action until February 2011 after suffering a ruptured achilles in training in early August.
• Goalkeeper David Stockdale is also definitely out of Saturday's encounter after injuring his shoulder during the 2-2 Premier League draw at Blackpool on 28 August.
• Swedish full-back Fredrik Stoor is not expected to feature as he has a groin strain.
Previous meetings
• The two sides last met on 2 May 2010 in a thrilling game at Craven Cottage. Fulham ended up winning 3-2 in a match notable for Carlton Cole scoring at both ends of the pitch. Clint Dempsey and a Cole own-goal put Fulham two goals up before Cole halved the deficit. Stefano Okaka Chuka reinstated the hosts' two-goal advantage before Guillermo Franco scored a late consolation goal.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Konchesky, Baird, Pantsil, Smalling, Greening, Dempsey (Elm 86), Davies (Okaka Chuka 70), Riise, Dikgacoi, Nevland
Subs not used: Zuberbuhler, Kelly, Shorey, Etuhu, Gera
West Ham United: Green, Upson, Spector, Da Costa, Parker, Kovac, Noble, Behrami (Stanislas 83), Faubert (Franco 61), Cole, Ilan (Diamanti 61)
Subs not used: Kurucz, Gabbidon, Boa Morte, Daprela
• Saturday marks the 84th time West Ham and Fulham have faced one another in competitive fixtures, and the 77th in the league. West Ham have won 36, Fulham 28 and there have been 19 draws. In this competition, West Ham have won 35, Spurs 24 and 17 matches have been drawn.
Last six meetings (all Barclays Premier League)
2 May 2010 Fulham 3-2 West Ham United
4 October 2009 West Ham United 2-2 Fulham
18 January 2009 West Ham United 3-1 Fulham
27 September 2008 Fulham 1-2 West Ham United
23 February 2008 Fulham 0-1 West Ham United
12 January 2008 West Ham United 2-1 Fulham
Overall record
v Fulham (all competitions) W 36 D 19 L 28
Last time out
• West Ham United secured their first Barclays Premier League success of the new season on Saturday 25 September, defeating Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at the Boleyn Ground. Summer signing Frederic Piquionne was the hero, heading in the only goal of the game shortly before the half-hour mark.
25 September 2010
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United: Green, Jacobsen, Gabbidon, Upson, Da Costa, Parker, Noble, Dyer (Barrera 42), Boa Morte, Piquionne (Cole 64), Obinna (Kovac 89)
Subs not used: Stech, Ben-Haim, Faubert ,McCarthy
Goal: Piquionne 29
• Fulham drew 0-0 at home with Everton in the Barclays Premier League last Saturday 25 September.
25 September 2010
Barclays Premier League
Fulham 0-0 Everton
Fulham: Schwarzer, Hangeland, Hughes, Salcido, Kelly (Baird 29), Etuhu, Duff, Murphy, Gera (E.Johnson 55), Dempsey, Davies (Kamara 71)
Subs not used: Etheridge, Greening, Riise, Halliche
West Ham United
• West Ham United won their first London derby in the league in 13 attempts when they overcame Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at the Boleyn Ground last Saturday.
• West Ham are without a win away from home in the Barclays Premier League since 15 August 2009 - the opening day of last season - when they won 2-0 at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
• Scott Parker is West Ham's top scorer this season with three goals in eight matches in all competitions. Frederic Piquionne has two after last week's headed winner against Tottenham Hotspur to make it two goals in two games after his strike at Sunderland in the Carling Cup.
• West Ham's biggest ever home win over Fulham came in the shape of a 7-2 Division One defeat of the Cottagers on 3 February 1968, with all three of the Hammers' World Cup winners getting on the scoresheet. A crowd of 31,248 saw Trevor Brooking (two), Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst (two), Bobby Moore, Brian Dear.
• The Hammers also secured a 6-1 First Division victory on 5 November 1966. Geoff Hurst scored four times and Martin Peters added a brace. Fred Callaghan had given Fulham an early lead. That victory was matched on 1 September 1917, when Danny Shea scored four times and Frank Roberts twice.
• West Ham have the tenth-best all-time record in Premier League history. The Hammers have contested 584 matches, winning 196, drawing 147 and losing 241. During that time, West Ham have scored 684 goals and conceded 823.
• The Hammers brought in eight new players this summer - Nigeria forward Victor Obinna, Denmark full-back Lars Jacobsen, Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, Mexico winger Pablo Barrera, France forward Piquionne, New Zealand defender Winston Reid, Belgian goalkeeper Ruud Boffin and Israel defender Tal Ben Haim, who has arrived on loan from Grant's former club Portsmouth.
• Five senior players left the Boleyn Ground during the summer transfer window - Alessandro Diamanti and Fabio Daprela both joined Italian Serie A new boys Brescia Calcio on permanent contracts. Brazilian Ilan was released at the end of his short-term contract, Egyptian Mido returned to Middlesbrough following the end of his loan spell and has since joined Ajax, while Mexican Guillermo Franco was released at the end of his one-year contract.
Fulham
• Fulham are one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the Barclays Premier League this season - the other being Manchester United. The Cottagers have beaten Wolverhampton Wanderers at home (2-1), drawn at Bolton Wanderers (0-0), Blackpool (2-2) and Blackburn Rovers (1-1) and drawn at home with Manchester United (2-2) and Everton (0-0).
• Fulham were eliminated from the Carling Cup at the third-round stage at Stoke City (2-0), having thrashed Port Vale (6-0) at Craven Cottage in the previous round.
• Fulham's biggest win at the Boleyn Ground came in an FA Cup fifth-round replay on 24 February 2004. Brian McBride, Barry Hayles and current West Ham United player Luis Boa Morte netted in the final 14 minutes to give the Whites a 3-0 victory. Fulham have never won a league game at the Boleyn Ground by more than two clear goals, most-recently winning 2-0 on 3 November 2001 through goals from Sylvain Legwinski and Steed Malbranque.
• Fulham have the 16th-best all-time record in Premier League history. Fulham have contested 348 matches, winning 106, drawing 100 and losing 142. During that time, Fulham have scored 390 goals and conceded 464.
• The highest-profile departure from Fulham during the summer transfer window was manager Roy Hodgson. The vastly-experienced coach led the Cottagers to a record seventh-place Premier League finish in 2008/09 before guiding the club to last season's UEFA Cup final, where they were beaten by Atletico Madrid. Hodgson has since taken charge at Liverpool.
• Switzerland defender Philippe Senderos arrived on a free transfer from Arsenal, while Belgium forward Moussa Dembele was snapped up from AZ Alkmaar, Algeria FIFA World Cup defender Rafik Halliche was brought in from SL Benfica and Mexico full-back Carlos Salcido was signed from PSV Eindhoven, all for an undisclosed fee.
• Leaving Craven Cottage were centre-back Chris Smalling, who joined Manchester United and left-back Paul Konchesky, who followed Hodgson to Liverpool. The Cottagers also allowed youngsters Elliot Omozusi and Stefan Payne to join Leyton Orient and Gillingham respectively.
• Youngsters Lauri Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic have both been signed from Liverpool but are not expected to feature in the first team immediately.
Ten-year League 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 via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
2001/02Premier League 7th (53 points)
2000/01Premier League 15th (42 points)
Fulham
2009/10 Premier League 12th (46 points)
2008/09Premier League 7th (53 points)
2007/08Premier League 17th (36 points)
2006/07Premier League 16th (39 points)
2005/06Premier League 12th (48 points)
2004/05Premier League 13th (44 points)
2003/04Premier League 9th (52 points)
2002/03Premier League 14th (48 points)
2001/02Premier League 13th (44 points)
2000/01Championship 1st (101 points - promoted as champions)
Old boys
• Luis Boa Morte made 250 appearances for Fulham in all competitions between July 2000 and January 2007, scoring 54 goals. Boa Morte scored 18 goals as the Cottagers secured promotion to the Premier League in 2000/01. He was voted the club's player of the season in 2004/05.
• Injured striker Bobby Zamora scored 40 goals in 152 league and cup appearances for West Ham United between February 2004 and July 2008.
• Ghana full-back John Pantsil played 24 matches for the Hammers between August 2006 and July 2008.
• Bobby Moore MBE played for both West Ham United and Fulham during his glittering career. Moore made 544 appearances for the Hammers before moving to Craven Cottage for £25,000 in 1974. England's World Cup-winning captain remained at Fulham for three years, making a further 124 appearances and facing his former side in the 1975 FA Cup final, which West Ham won 2-0.
• Among the other players who have represented both sides are Jan Lastuvka, Jimmy Bullard, Ian Pearce, Rufus Brevett, George Carter, Brian Dear, Tony Gale, Ron Greenwood, Jon Harley, Fred Harrison, Jack Hebden. George Horler and Paul Konchesky.
Saturday's officials
Referee: Andre Marriner
Assistant referees: Darren Cann and Mike Yerby
Fourth official: Andy D'Urso
• The match referee will be Andre Marriner, who becomes the first official to take charge of West Ham United twice this season. Marriner also officiated the Hammers' 3-1 home Barclays Premier League defeat by Bolton Wanderers on 21 August.
• Birmingham-born Marriner began refereeing in 1992, progressing through the Birmingham Amateur Football League and the Southern League to become a Football League assistant referee in 2000.
• Marriner, who turned 39 on New Years' Day, was appointed to the Football League List of referees in 2003.
• The following year, on 13 November 2004, the official took charge of his first Premier League fixture, with current West Ham United goalkeeper Robert Green being forced off injured just past the hour-mark in Norwich City's 4-0 defeat at Charlton Athletic.
• Marriner was appointed to the Select Group in 2005. Since then, one of the most notable matches he has refereed are the 2008 FA Community Shield between Portsmouth and Manchester United at Wembley.
• The West Midlands-based official was added to FIFA's International List in 2009, but insists the biggest fixture he has ever refereed was the 2003 Conference National play-off final between Doncaster Rovers and Dagenham & Redbridge.
• Marriner will be assisted on one touchline by 2010 FIFA World Cup final assistant referee Darren Cann.
Next up
• West Ham United travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers after the international break on Saturday 16 October, kick-off 3pm.
• Fulham host Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage on Saturday 16 October, kick-off 3pm.
General information
All tickets are sold out. Click here for more information.