West Ham United will be looking for their first win in four Premier League matches when they host West Bromwich Albion at Upton Park this weekend.
Slaven Bilic's side sit sixth in the table ahead of the visit of the Baggies, who have won three of their last five outings.
West Ham United
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West Ham were one of the surprise sides in the opening couple of months of the season, sitting as high as second just a couple of weeks ago, but two defeats and a draw in their last three outings have dropped the Hammers back to sixth.
The team suffered their heaviest defeat of the campaign last time out, losing 4-1 in a London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, leaving the side without a win since their 2-1 victory over Chelsea more than a month ago.
West Ham's form has not been helped by injuries, with playmaker Dimitri Payet and striker Enner Valencia among those currently sidelined. Andy Carroll has been back in the side over the last six weeks, but has scored just once in eight appearances since returning from a knee injury.
Goals have been difficult to come by for the Hammers in their last few matches, with the team scoring just twice in their last three. They still have one of the strongest attacks in the top flight so far this season though, having scored 24 goals in 13 outings - only Leicester City and Manchester City have more.
Defending has been something of a problem though, as the side have just three clean sheets while conceding 20 goals. The side have not kept their opponents off the scoreboard since beating Newcastle 2-0 at the start of September.
Defeat in this match could see West Ham tumbling down the standings, with the five sides behind them within two points of their 21-point total. Even this weekend's opponents, who are six places back in 12th, can move within a point of the Hammers with victory at Upton Park.
Recent form: DWWLDL
West Bromwich Albion
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Tony Pulis's West Brom side returned to winning ways after back-to-back defeats last time out, coming from a goal down to beat Arsenal 2-1, helped by the Gunners scoring an own goal and missing a penalty.
Having sat just outside the relegation zone a few weeks ago, the Baggies have climbed up to 12th thanks to three wins in their last five outings, leaving them eight points clear of the bottom three.
West Brom's defending has been solid so far this season, with the side keeping clean sheets in six of their matches - only Manchester City and Manchester United have more. However, the Baggies have not been able to keep their opponents out in their last three games.
Scoring remains a struggle for the Midlands side, who have the third lowest total of goals in the top flight this season with 12. Half of their goals have come in defeats, while last week's win over Arsenal was the first time that they had won a match in which they had scored more than once.
No player has emerged as a top scorer for the team yet, with Saido Berahino, James Morrison and Salomon Rondon all having scored three times so far this season, while summer signing Rickie Lambert has netted just once in 14 appearances in all competitions.
Berahino had been linked with a move away from West Brom in the summer, and with the January transfer window nearing, the striker is thought to be on Chelsea's radar. Pulis has admitted in the build-up to this match that Berahino has struggled for form after being denied a move to Tottenham Hotspur on deadline day in the summer.
Recent form: LWWLLW
Team News
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The visitors will be without Chris Brunt as the midfielder picked up his fifth booking of the season in the win over Arsenal, but Gareth McAuley is available again after serving a suspension last time out.
West Brom's only other absentee is goalkeeper Ben Foster, who has only recently returned to training after more than six months out with a knee ligament injury.
Meanwhile, the home side have two players suspended as James Collins serves the final game of a three-match suspension for his sending-off against Watford last month, while Mark Noble is banned because of his fifth booking.
Bilic has indicated that Pedro Obiang could start in place of Noble, despite having not featured since the win over Chelsea, while Alex Song is also an option. Valencia, Payet and Darren Randolph are all out, but Reece Oxford is expected to be available, despite picking up a knock while with the development squad earlier this week.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Adrian, Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell, Kouyate, Obiang, Sakho, Lanzini, Zarate, Carroll
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Myhill, Dawson, Evans, Olsson, Gardner, Fletcher, Yacob, Morrison, Sessegnon, Lambert, Rondon
Head To Head
These two sides last met at The Hawthorns in February during an FA Cup tie, which saw the Hammers thrashed 4-0 by the hosts, while Morgan Amalfitano was sent off.
West Ham took four points from a possible six in their two meetings in the Premier League last season though, beating the Baggies at their own ground, before sharing a 1-1 draw at Upton Park on New Year's Day, leaving West Brom with just one win in their last nine league matches against the Hammers.
In 71 meetings in all competitions between the two clubs, West Brom have 31 wins to West Ham's 25, while 15 matches have finished level.
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We say: West Ham United 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
West Ham will be desperate to bounce back from their biggest loss of the season, and they will fancy their chances against a side that they have had a strong head-to-head record against over the last couple of seasons. The Baggies are in decent form, but have been starting to let in more goals in the last couple of weeks, which should help the home side secure a narrow win.
Sian Cowper
