The Academy kick-off their Barclays U18 Premier League season on Saturday with a trip to West Bromwich Albion.
Steve Potts' side head for the West Midlands looking to go one better than last season, when they were defeated in a Play-Off semi-final against eventual league runners-up Manchester City.
The Hammers have enjoyed a productive pre-season, which included appearances in the Eurofoot Tournament in the Netherlands and the Ruhr-International Cup in Germany.
Closer to home, the U18s recorded a 3-1 victory in their final warm-up against Brentford last Saturday, with Jordan Brown on target twice.
The Baggies' youngsters finished eleventh in the table last term, so West Ham will be hopeful of starting their season with a positive result.
Kick-off at the WBA Development Centre is at 12pm and whufc.com will carry a full report on Saturday.