English Premier League

Huddersfield Town vs West Ham match build up

TEAM NEWS

Danny Williams, who has not played since March due to a broken ankle, is back in training in an otherwise fully-fit squad. Huddersfield Town full-back Erik Durm is set to return after missing their last game through injury.

West Ham captain Mark Nobles completes a three-game ban. Fellow midfielder Pedro Obiang should be available after being substituted during last weekend’s win over Burnley with a minor knee problem.

Andy Carroll and Jack Wilshere could return from ankle injuries after the international break.

MOTD COMMENTATOR’S NOTES

@SimonBrotherton: Huddersfield finally won in the Premier League last Monday for the first time this season to lift themselves off the foot of the table, and will hope to build on it by securing back-to-back league victories for the first time since February.

WHU v HDD

West Ham’s away form has been patchy so far, yielding just four points from five matches on the road. They did put four past Burnley at the London Stadium last week though, which is only one shy of Huddersfield’s total for the whole season.

Goals at both ends of the pitch have been a major problem for the Terriers, with only five scored and 21 conceded at the other end.

VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT

Huddersfield Town head coach David Wagner: “We have to show the same intensity and positive aggression we have shown already.

“We have a chance in front of our home crowd and we need our supporters to be on it from the first minute, especially when we know how difficult of a task this is.

“It’s important to score but it’s also important to defend together.”

West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini on the progress of Declan Rice: “I think that Declan has a lot of potential to arrive at that level that he wants. After that, you must see the development of his career, he is learning very fast, I think that he improves his performance in every game, so I hope he will be a top player for some years more.

“He must continue learning because his position in the team is a very tactical one, he is a very intelligent player, but yes, he has a lot of potential.”

LAWRO’S PREDICTION

Huddersfield will be full of confidence after getting a much-needed first win of the season against Fulham on Monday. Now they are back at home again, in another game they will think they can get something out of.

Prediction: 1-1

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

  • Huddersfield were the only side West Ham beat home and away in the Premier League last season.
  • West Ham’s 4-1 win at Huddersfield last season was their first victory there since an FA Cup game in 1969.
  • The Terriers have not beaten the Hammers in the top flight since a 1-0 victory in 1971.

Huddersfield Town

  • Huddersfield’s victory against Fulham ended a run of 14 consecutive Premier League games without a win.
  • It was also only the fifth league game out of 11 in which they have managed to score.
  • They last won back-to-back games in the competition in February, and have not kept consecutive clean sheets since August 2017.
  • Huddersfield have used 23 players in the Premier League this season – only Tottenham, with 24, have fielded more.

West Ham United

  • West Ham could secure back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time since January 2017.
  • They have kept just one clean sheet in their last 14 Premier League away games, in a 2-0 win at Leicester in May.
  • Felipe Anderson’s two goals in the win over Burnley bettered his overall tally from the first 10 Premier League games.
  • Only Jermain Defoe (24) and Olivier Giroud (19) have scored more goals as substitute in Premier League history than West Ham striker Javier Hernandez (17).
  • Since the start of 2017-18, Marko Arnautovic has been directly involved in 23 of West Ham’s 61 Premier League goals (16 goals, seven assists) – more than double that of any team-mate.

Source: BBC News