Fresh from obtaining a first-leg advantage in their Europa Conference League semi-final with AZ Alkmaar, West Ham United return to Premier League action against London rivals Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Hammers edged past Dutch powerhouses AZ 2-1 at the London Stadium on Thursday, while the Bees' most recent encounter ended in a 1-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield.
Match preview
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A three-game unbeaten run for Brentford was brought to a swift end upon their visit to Merseyside last weekend, where a 13th-minute Mohamed Salah goal proved decisive to hand Liverpool their sixth Premier League win on the bounce.
The Bees briefly thought that they had restored parity late on in the first half when Bryan Mbeumo gave Virgil van Dijk the spin before finding the far corner, but an offside decision saved the Reds' bacon, as Brentford's European hopes dwindled once again.
The hosts' back-to-back successes over Chelsea and Nottingham Forest had left their fellow continental chasers looking over their shoulders, but Thomas Frank's team sit in ninth place with just three games left to go, five points below Brighton & Hove Albion having played two games more.
Unlike their upcoming opponents in the current season, Brentford can largely forget about any flights across Europe next term as they go about fixing a patchy spell of home form, which has seen the Bees win just two of their last six at the Gtech Community Stadium.
However, only Arsenal and Newcastle United have beaten Frank's men this season on their own soil, where Brentford have both scored and conceded in each of their last six Premier League affairs, and the Bees would do well to capitalise on West Ham's European fatigue.
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Michail Antonio's number was very nearly up - quite literally on the electronic board - before the West Ham talisman completed quite the turnaround on Thursday night, as David Moyes's men prepare to take a one-goal lead to the Netherlands next week.
Only a few moments after a perceived foul on Lucas Paqueta went unpunished, West Ham fell behind to AZ through Tijjani Reijnders's long-range strike, before Said Benrahma's pinpoint penalty and Antonio's tap-in saw West Ham glean a slender advantage in the English capital.
Such a buffer is hardly decisive ahead of next week's second leg, but attention now turns to the relegation dogfight in the Premier League, as the 15th-placed Hammers are still not mathematically safe heading into the weekend - sitting seven clear of the drop zone with three games remaining.
However, should Leicester City and Leeds United both lose this weekend - not an impossible scenario as they face Liverpool and Newcastle United respectively - West Ham's survival will be confirmed with two games to spare, and a hard-fought 1-0 win over Manchester United last weekend edged Moyes's side ever closer to retaining their top-flight status.
The Hammers' last two away games versus Crystal Palace and Manchester City both ended in defeat, though, and they have also been beaten in their three Premier League clashes so far with Brentford, although their FA Cup third-round showdown in January ended in a 1-0 triumph for Moyes's men.
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Brentford left-back Rico Henry appeared to sustain a hand injury in their defeat to Liverpool last week, but there is nothing to suggest that he will not be available on Sunday, as Frank works around his four known absentees once more.
Keane Lewis-Potter (knee), Christian Norgaard (Achilles), Thomas Strakosha (calf) and outgoing captain Pontus Jansson (thigh) are all confined to the treatment room, and Frank ought to consider a formation change after attempting to quell Liverpool with a five-man backline at Anfield.
Such an approach nearly paid dividends, but Kevin Schade and Yoane Wissa will both eye recalls to the attack if Zanka is sacrificed in a switch to a four-man rearguard.
Following his game-winning goal against AZ, fears were raised when Antonio was seen limping heavily at the end of the game, although it is unclear how severe the striker's affliction is.
Moyes is confident that Antonio "should" be fine, but he may avoid risking him ahead of the second leg of their ECL clash, while Gianluca Scamacca (knee) and Vladimir Coufal (thigh) are definite absentees for this London derby. Angelo Ogbonna is also fighting to recover from illness in time for the weekend.
With their survival all but assured, Moyes will no doubt ponder several changes for the visit to Brentford, as all of Emerson Palmieri, Manuel Lanzini, Pablo Fornals and Danny Ings push for recalls to the XI. Lukasz Fabianski will also come back in for Alphonse Areola as the last line of defence.
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Raya; Hickey, Mee, Pinnock, Henry; Dasilva, Janelt, Jensen; Schade, Toney, Mbeumo
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Johnson, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Lanzini, Fornals; Ings
We say: Brentford 1-0 West Ham United
With jellied legs from their midweek exertions and fresh concerns over Antonio's fitness, West Ham may come up short against a Brentford side that are seldom outclassed on their own patch.
The Bees gave Liverpool a good run for their money at Anfield, and with West Ham nearly home and dry in the Premier League, the result of this game should pale into insignificance for Moyes's men as they prioritise their continental commitments.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
