The games keep on coming for West Ham United with Brentford next to visit London Stadium on Sunday.
The visit of the Bees brings to an end a period of seven matches in 23 days for the Hammers, with the second international break of the season following Sunday's encounter.
It has been a spell of great success for the Hammers, with those six matches so far bringing four victories, one draw and a solitary defeat, taking them to the top of their UEFA Europa League group, the top seven of the Premier League and the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.
Now, they will aim to sign off this bunch of fixtures in style by earning their first London derby success of the season.
Brentford have begun their debut Premier League campaign in decent form themselves, defeating Arsenal and drawing with Liverpool, while only losing once along the way.
They head into the weekend two places and as many points behind the Hammers in the table, continuing the fine progress they have shown in their rise up the leagues over the past decade.
Ticket News
Tickets sold out for this London derby, but that doesn't mean you have to miss out! Seats are available on the Ticket Exchange as Season Ticket Holders who cannot attend relist their seats.
Click here to find available seats.
Supporters should note that the London Marathon is also taking place on Sunday, so rail and Tube services, particularly in south-east and central London are likely to be busier than usual. Please use tfl.gov.uk to plan your journey to London Stadium on matchday.
How to follow
Sunday's kick-off is at 2pm, but this game will not be broadcast live on TV in the UK. If you live overseas you might be able to watch the game live though, and broadcast listings in your territory can be found here.
We will also be covering the game live with a blog and audio commentary on whufc.com and our Official App and across our social media channels, with goals, highlights and exclusive reaction to follow after the final whistle.
Team News
David Moyes will wait to assess the fitness of Vladimír Coufal and Ryan Fredericks ahead of Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Brentford.
The right backs were both absent for Thursday’s UEFA Europa League victory over Rapid Vienna, although the manager is hopeful they will both be available for selection when the Bees come to town.
Ben Johnson deputised in the 2-0 win against the Austrian side and Moyes was delighted with all the players who have come in and taken their chances, both in Europe and in the Carabao Cup.
Brentford have no new injury concerns ahead of Sunday's game.
Ethan Pinnock was taken off in the first half as Brentford scored a late equaliser in last weekend's 3-3 draw with Liverpool, although he is likely to be fit for Sunday.
Mads Sorensen and Josh Dasilva remain long-term absentees.
The opposition
On 3 October 2013, Brentford were sat tenth in the League One table and preparing for a trip to Rotherham United.
If you had asked a Bees fan then whether – on the same date just eight short years on – they would be in the top half of the Premier League table, having already beaten Arsenal and drawn with Liverpool this season, they probably would not have believed you.
Yet, that is exactly where the Bees stand, having risen rapidly through the divisions to climb from League One to the top flight and already serve notice that they intend to make their presence felt in their first season at this level for three-quarters of a century.
Rewind back to 2013 and they responded to a slow start to the League One season by replacing manager Uwe Rösler with Mark Warburton and have rarely looked back since.
They stormed towards the top of the table under Warburton’s stewardship, finishing as runners-up to Wolverhampton Wanderers, before quickly establishing themselves as contenders in the second tier.
In seven Championship campaigns, they never finished lower than eleventh, eventually securing promotion to the Premier League by defeating Swansea in a Wembley Play-Off final in May.
Becoming renowned for playing progressive football, first under Warburton, then current Aston Villa manager Dean Smith and now 47-year-old Dane Thomas Frank, Brentford’s model will have caused several envious glances to come their way from EFL clubs with perceived bigger reputations.
They have achieved their rise in large part due to outstanding recruitment, bringing in the likes of Ollie Watkins, Neal Maupay, Saïd Benrahma, Chris Mepham and Andre Gray for modest fees, seeing them develop into top-class operators in west London, sell them on for huge profits and then keep that cycle going.
Throw in a move to the sparkling new 17,250-capacity Brentford Community Stadium along the way, and there can rarely have been a better time to be a fan of the Bees.
And having been forced to follow the majority of their promotion-winning campaign from afar, their enthusiasm for a first-ever Premier League campaign is plain to see.
An opening night 2-0 victory over Arsenal only served to whet the appetite for the season ahead, and with only one loss in six top flight outings to date, they arrive at London Stadium just a couple of places behind West Ham United in the table.
With last season’s Championship Golden Boot winner Ivan Toney – he notched a remarkable 33 goals – already appearing at home at the higher level, the Bees backed up that victory over the Gunners by twice coming from behind to draw 3-3 with Liverpool at home last weekend.
Brentford are certainly attacking the 2021/22 campaign without any fear – and given their success over the past decade, that should come as no surprise.
Previous meetings
West Ham United and Brentford have never met in the Premier League - in fact, this will be the first meeting between the sides since they were last together in the old Division One in the 1992/93 season.
Back then, the teams played out a 0-0 draw at Griffin Park, before the Hammers - who were promoted at the end of the season - romped to a 4-0 victory at the Boleyn Ground.
In all, the Hammers have met the Bees on 22 occasions in the Football League and FA Cup, with both teams winning seven times each.
West Ham did travel to Brentford for a pre-season friendly in July this year, when Saïd Benrahma's spectacular strike settled a well-contested match.
Match Officials
Referee: Peter Bankes
Assistant Referees: Ian Hussin and James Mainwaring
Fourth Official: Craig Pawson
VAR: Andre Marriner
Assistant VAR: Mark Scholes
Peter Bankes takes charge of a West Ham United fixture for just the third time in his career this afternoon.
Bankes’ only previous Hammers appointments came in September 2015, when he was the man in the middle for a 2-1 extra-time defeat at Leicester City in the Carabao Cup, and for last season's 2-1 win over Aston Villa at London Stadium.
The 38-year-old was promoted to Select Group 1 ahead of the 2019/20 campaign, having previously served as an assistant referee in the Premier League for two seasons.
Liverpool-based Bankes worked as an accounts manager alongside his refereeing career, which began as long ago as September 1996.
He became a full-time professional referee in 2016, when he joined Select Group 2.
