90min
·14 gennaio 2025
90min
·14 gennaio 2025
There's an all-London affair to enjoy on Tuesday night as Graham Potter takes charge of his first Premier League game as West Ham boss against Fulham.
Potter was in the dugout on Friday night just days after he was confirmed as Julen Lopetegui's successor in east London. There were positive signs at Villa Park and the FA Cup tie turned following an erroneous decision to award Aston Villa a corner which led to the hosts' equaliser.
The Englishman has plenty of work to do with a squad which perhaps isn't ideal for his framework given the lack of legs in midfield and injuries up top.
West Ham enter Tuesday's game 14th in the table having won just six of their 20 league outings under Lopetegui.
Unlike the Hammers, Fulham progressed into the fourth round of the FA Cup by virtue of a 4-1 win over Watford on Thursday night. The Cottagers are currently nine games unbeaten in all competitions, but their tendency to draw means they're only ninth in the Premier League table.
Marco Silva's side are hunting a European berth and they're within touching distance of the top seven.
Here is 90min's guide to Potter's London Stadium bow.
Fullkrug could be out for as long as three months with a hamstring injury / Visionhaus/GettyImages
Niclas Fullkrug's long-term hamstring injury has compounded West Ham's attacking injury woes, with Potter also without Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen at the start of his tenure. With Fullkrug out, Danny Ings could earn a rare Premier League start in east London.
Ings scored in the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage back in September - his only goal of the season so far.
In defence, Jean-Clair Todibo and Emerson may miss out so there's unlikely to be any changes to Potter's backline on Tuesday. Teenager Oliver Scarles impressed at left-back at Villa Park.
West Ham predicted lineup vs Fulham (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Scarles; Soucek, Alvarez; Kudus, Paqueta, Summerville; Ings.
Raul Jimenez is in excellent goalscoring form / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages
Fulham are still without Kenny Tete and Reiss Nelson due to respective knee and hamstring injuries, while Sander Berge and Rodrigo Muniz are both doubts for Tuesday's game.
There could be a reversion to a back three for Silva given the personnel at his disposal, with Antonee Robinson suiting a wing-back function down the left.
Tom Cairney could start alongside Sasa Lukic in midfield if Berge doesn't return, while the in-form Raul Jimenez is a sure bet to come back into the Cottagers' XI.
Fulham predicted lineup vs West Ham (3-4-3): Leno; Diop, Andersen, Bassey; Castagne, Lukic, Cairney, Robinson; Wilson, Jimenez, Iwobi.
The spoils were shared at Craven Cottage back in September, and these two sides could play out another draw on Tuesday night.
While Fulham have scored at least twice in five of their previous six outings, they'll be facing a Potter-led team keen on achieving early stability. Defensive foundations must be laid in east London under the Englishman given how poorly West Ham performed without the ball under Lopetegui.
Stalemates certainly aren't uncommon at the start of a new manager's tenure, and West Ham's injury woes up top means they're unlikely to carry much of a threat in the final third.