Premier League Stories - Episode 10
Oct 4When and where to watch West Ham vs Bournemouth
West Ham vs Bournemouth kicks off at 8pm on Monday 24 October.
You can catch all the action from the London Stadium on NOW via BT TV.
Join the home of live football today
BT Sport is the only place to watch live Premier League, Champions League, Europa League and much more.
West Ham vs Bournemouth match preview
West Ham welcome Bournemouth to the London Stadium knowing that a victory will see them leapfrog their opponents in the table.
The Hammers currently sit two points behind the Cherries in 13th. Both sides are looking to bounce back after 1-0 defeats in midweek.
West Ham came away from Anfield empty handed while Bournemouth lost for the first time under Gary O’Neil, with a 1-0 loss to Southampton.
Bournemouth will be looking to forwards Philip Billing and Dominic Solanke to continue their good form in front of goal, while West Ham will be hoping their attacking players can cause the Cherries problems.
With Jared Bowen, Gianluca Scamacca, Tomas Soucek and plenty of options off the bench, the Hammers have plenty of firepower at their disposal and their home fans will be expecting them to put on a show.
After tasting defeat for the first time in midweek, Bournemouth boss O’Neil will be hoping his side can regroup and put in a disciplined performance.
West Ham vs Bournemouth predicted lineups
West Ham: (4-4-2) Fabianski; Johnson, Zouma, Kehrer, Creswell, Downes, Rice, Soucek, Fornals, Bowen, Scamacca.
Bournemouth: (3-4-2-1) Neto; A Smith, Mepham, Senesi, Tavernier, L Cook, Lerma, Fredericks, Christie, Billing, Solanke.
West Ham vs Bournemouth: Injuries and suspensions
After suffering a shoulder injury in the 1-1 draw against Southampton, there was some concern that Lucas Paqueta could be out long-term and even miss the World Cup.
However, the Brazilian’s injury isn’t as bad as first thought and he should be back shortly. He won’t make it in time for the Cherries, though.
Defender Craig Dawson will face a later fitness test after missing out at Anfield with a leg injury.
Bournemouth captain Lloyd Kelly remains out with an ankle injury and manager O’Neil confirmed he still has a long way to go before he’s back in the side.
Form (last 6 matches)
West Ham – LLWWDL
Bournemouth – WDDWDL
West Ham vs Bournemouth: Form guide
In midweek both teams lost, with West Ham going down 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield and O’Neil suffering his first defeat as Cherries boss at home to Southampton.
Both clubs have been enjoying a recent upturn in form, with West Ham taking seven points from a possible nine before the Anfield defeat and Bournemouth going unbeaten since the sacking of Scott Parker at the end of August.
Bournemouth fans will be delighted with their turnaround and their current position of safety in the league.
Hammers’ fans will be disappointed they’re lingering in the bottom half of the table having bought in some eye-catching summer signings.
West Ham’s participation in the Europa Conference League may be affecting their Premier League form, but having already qualified from their group in that competition they should now be able to fully focus on the Premier League and start moving up the table.
West Ham vs Bournemouth: Last time they met
The last time the Cherries visited the London Stadium was on New Year’s Day 2020.
And it was a great way to welcome in the New Year, with West Ham handing out a 4-0 drubbing, with two goals from Mark Noble, plus strikes from Sebastien Haller and Felipe Anderson.
He said what?!
Gary O'Neil on his first defeat as intermin Bournemouth boss:
"You lose a game of football and it's easy to see it as the end of the world.
"But I've been around the game long enough to know that if it was the end of the world every time I played poorly, it would have been half my games! The world would have ended 300 times.
"So yeah, I think I'm used to it. It is what it is. Just really important to me, the characteristics of how we lose a game, how we perform.
"Last night still, for me, was an acceptable way to go about a performance in the Premier League."
West Ham vs Bournemouth: Players to watch
Against Liverpool in midweek, West Ham manager David Moyes handed a first Premier League start to midfielder Flynn Downes.
With Paqueta and Maxwel Cornet still out, Moyes could well give Downes another go in the midfield alongside Declan Rice and Soucek.
The 23-year-old had previously only featured off the bench, accumulating a handful of minutes. However, he has started in the Europa Conference League and impressed with his performances.
After the Liverpool match, Moyes commented:
“I thought he did really well. I've had quite a few from the Championship and some have taken six months to be first team players.
“There's a lot of things he did well so I'm pleased for him. He's starting to get noticed now.”
Downes was signed for £14m from Swansea in the summer.
West Ham vs Bournemouth: Key stats
- Start the week right: West Ham have won their last five Premier League games on a Monday – they’ve never won six in a row on a specific day of the week in the competition.
- They don't like Mondays: Bournemouth have won just one of their six Premier League games played on a Monday (D1 L4)
- Slow starters: West Ham have scored fewer first-half goals than any other side in the Premier League this season (2). Indeed, in a league-table based on first half results, the Hammers would be bottom – they've only led at the interval once so far this term (against Wolves earlier this month).
- Scared to let loose: Bournemouth have had fewer shots than any other side in the Premier League this season (86) – their average of 7.8 shots per game is the lowest on record in a single Premier League campaign (since 1997- 98).
