Atoning for London derby defeats with a London derby win will be the objective for both West Ham United and Brentford in Saturday's Premier League showdown at the London Stadium.
Graham Potter's men let a 1-0 lead slip in a 2-1 reverse to Chelsea two Mondays ago, while the Bees became Tottenham Hotspur's first Premier League victims of 2025 in a 2-0 home defeat.
Match preview
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As other clubs scrambled to get last-minute signings over the line on transfer deadline day, Chelsea and West Ham sought to write some on-field headlines at Stamford Bridge, where Potter returned to square up to the club that ruthlessly sacked him only a few months into his tenure.
The Irons boss would have had the last laugh had the game ended at half time - Jarrod Bowen capitalised on a Levi Colwill blunder to put the visitors ahead - but Pedro Neto's leveller and an unfortunate Aaron Wan-Bissaka own goal sent West Ham back empty-handed.
The quintessential 'new manager bounce' appears to have eluded West Ham since Potter took the reins, and with only one point on the board from their last nine on offer in the Premier League, the Hammers occupy a lowly 16th place in the top-flight table.
However, West Ham's situation is not quite so dire as their ranking might suggest; they still have a 10-point lead over Leicester City in the highest of the relegation places, but one win in seven across all competitions is certainly demotion-worthy form.
The former Europa Conference League winners have also been nothing if not inconsistent at the London Stadium, winning three, losing three and drawing two of their last eight Premier League home matches, and they have only kept a pitiful two top-flight clean sheets in front of their own fans since the start of 2024.
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Also no strangers to letting opposing teams score on home soil, Brentford have witnessed the walls of the Gtech Commuity Stadium fortress come crashing down in recent weeks, and Tottenham were the latest team to add to the Bees' West London woes.
The Brentford faithful could have been forgiven for any pre-game optimism against an injury-hit Lilywhites crop who had lost their first four Premier League games of 2025, but a Vitaly Janelt own goal and Pape Sarr clincher prolonged the Bees' home rut.
Brentford's early-season home exploits had put them right in the thick of the European mix, but Thomas Frank's troops have now slipped into the bottom half of the standings on account of winning just two of their last 11 matches across all competitions.
However, both of those triumphs have come on the road against Southampton and Crystal Palace, meaning that the visitors are just 90 minutes away from winning three consecutive Premier League matches on the road for the very first time.
In one of the rare occasions where an early-season Brentford home game did not involve a glut of goals, the Bees had to settle for a 1-1 draw with West Ham in September, but Mbeumo's first-minute strike that day means that they have found the back of the net in all seven Premier League meetings with Saturday's hosts.
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Bowen's return from a foot injury was quite the blessing for West Ham against Chelsea, but the Irons have also welcomed Evan Ferguson into their ranks, and a debut should await the Brighton & Hove Albion loanee in this capital clash.
Fellow strikers Niclas Fullkrug (thigh) and Michail Antonio (leg) are still missing alongside Crysencio Summerville (hamstring), but all of Lucas Paqueta (groin), Edson Alvarez (unspecified) and Jean-Clair Todibo (unspecified) are expected to be available.
Ferguson may therefore have to wait patiently for a start if Paqueta and Kudus line up behind Bowen, whose next Premier League goal will be his 50th for the Hammers, making him just the second man to hit that milestone for club after 68-strike Antonio.
Brentford also added to their ranks on deadline day, albeit with the less high-profile signing of 18-year-old winger Romelle Donovan on loan from Birmingham City, and it should be largely as you were on the injury front for the visitors.
Aaron Hickey (thigh), Igor Thiago (knee), Gustavo Nunes (back), Rico Henry (thigh) and Josh Dasilva (knee) are still absent, but Frank is keeping his fingers crossed that first-choice goalkeeper Mark Flekken will return from the side strain that ruled him out of the Chelsea defeat.
After enjoying an 18-minute cameo against Spurs, a full Premier League debut could also await on-loan Fiorentina defender Michael Kayode at right-back, where Kristoffer Ajer would be the one sacrificed.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Areola; Coufal, Kilman, Cresswell; Wan-Bissaka, Alvarez, Soucek, Emerson; Kudus, Paqueta; Bowen
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt; Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Schade; Wissa
We say: West Ham United 2-2 Brentford
What Brentford have lacked at home they have made up for on the road in recent weeks, and any team visiting the London Stadium can be sure that West Ham will give up opportunities to the opposition.
However, Frank's men should still fall short of winning three Premier League games away from home for the first time, as a Bowen-reinforced West Ham still pack a punch up front and gave Chelsea a brilliant run for their money two Mondays ago.
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Ben Knapton
