West Ham vs Brentford preview, details, team news, line-ups and prediction

West Ham United will host Brentford at the London Stadium as they aim to end a streak of three consecutive Premier League losses.

The Hammers are in an abysmal run of form and have failed to win a single game since the 2:0 win over Arsenal last December.

They were knocked out from the FA Cup by Championship side, Bristol City, and were also winless in Premier League clashes against Brighton and Hove Albion, Sheffield United, Bournemouth, Manchester United, and Nottingham Forest while also losing the second-leg embarrassingly against the Gunners as they were completely dismantled 6:0 at the London Stadium.

More worrying for West Ham are not the losses, but the manner in which they lost their matches. They have been completely outplayed and outperformed in all aspects of the game.

Against United, they looked all out-of-place and barely had a sniffle at goal against Arsenal. Fans in their numbers trooped out of the stadium as the team barely put up a fight.

Ahead of the game against Forest, one would hope that David Moyes’ side would put in a commanding statement after their loss over Arsenal. Moreso was a strong belief in a positive result following Forest’s abysmal run of six defeats in seven matches at the Gtech Stadium.

Michail Antonio made a return to the squad for the first time since November in a boost to Moyes’ attack, but they struggled to create clear-cut chances in the game.

Taiwo Awoniyi gave the Tricky Trees the lead at the stroke of half-time. Kalvin Philips worsened West Ham’s plight as he was shown a second yellow card as his poor start to life in East London continued.

Callum Hudson-Odoi extended his scoring streak to three consecutive games when he added a second at stoppage time to double the lead for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

They now face Brentford – a side whom they’ve been second-best in terms of results from the past couple of seasons.

However, just like West Ham, the Bees are also in a poor run of form, as they have lost in four of their last five games in the Premier League.

They have lost against Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and twice against Manchester City,

Thomas Frank’s side last recorded a Premier League win early this month when they defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 2:0 at the Molineux Stadium.

In their last match, Pep Guardiola’s side were kept out for 71 minutes as the Bees put up a combative defensive display during the match. City eventually broke the deadlock through Erling Haaland after an error from Brentford’s centre-back, Kristoffer Ajer.

On the other end of the pitch, the West London side fluffed their chances to take the lead through Yoane Wissa and Frank Onyeka. Onyeka, particularly was played through on goal but his take shot was easily collected by City’s goalkeeper, Éderson.

They didn’t offer much going forward but their ability to keep out City’s rampaging attack for most of the game was commendable.

Now, it’d be a different ball game against West Ham as they don’t need to sit back if they need to win. Both London clubs need to attack to be on the front foot from the beginning of the game.

West Ham v Brentford match details 

Date: Monday, 26 February 2024

Location: London, England

Venue: London Stadium

Kick-off time: 20:00 UTC, 3 pm ET

Referee: Simon Hooper

Assistant referees: Adrian Holmes and Simon Long

Fourth official: Tony Harrington

VAR: Michael Oliver

Tickets: Fans can buy West Ham tickets through the club websites or official channels. If they are sold-out, supporters can still use trusted resellers online.

Match stats and head-to-head 

• West Ham and Brentford have only played five Premier League top-flight matches in history, with Brentford emerging victorious in all five matches.

• The Bees have scored at least two goals in all their five Premier League matches against West Ham.

• West Ham’s only victory against Brentford came in the FA Cup last season, their only win in six games.

•Brentford have found the back of the net in eight of their last nine matches in the Premier League, while also conceding in all eight matches in that run.

•West Ham have faced defeat in their last three matches in the Premier League and have also failed to score a single goal in their last three games. The last time they went on a longer streak without scoring was between September and October 2006 when they went without scoring in five games.

•Brentford have faced defeats in their last three London derbies, losing against Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Tottenham.

• Brentford have faced defeats in six of their last seven Premier League games away from home. The last time they won an away game was against Wolves in early February.

• Moyes’ side have failed to win a single game since the turn of the year, recording three draws and three defeats, their longest streak without a win at the start of a year in the Premier League since 2007 when they played eight games without a win.

• The current UEFA Conference League champions have faced 20+ shots in eight Premier League matches, the most in a single season for West Ham since the 2017-18 season where they faced only eleven shots.

West Ham v Brentford team news 

Kalvin Phillips is suspended for Monday’s clash after receiving two yellow cards against Nottingham Forest.

Brazil International, Lucas Paqueta is back in contention after a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a calf injury. His return would offer a boost to West Ham who have incessantly struggled in the absence of the the 26-year-old

A host of Brentford players are facing lengthy spells away from featuring on matchday squad. Ethan Pinnock and Bryan Mbeumo are out with ankle injuries. Rico Henry and Josh Dasilva are both out of the season following an anterior cruciate ligament injury they suffered at the start of the season. Aaron Hickey is out with a hamstring injury while Kevin Shade remains ruled out due to an abductor injury.

Predicted starting line-up

West Ham United predicted starting lineup:

Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Soucek, Alvarez; Paqueta, Ward-Prowse, Kudus; Bowen

Brentford predicted starting lineup:

Flekken; Jorgensen, Ajer, Mee; Roerslev, Onyeka, Norgaard, Janelt, Reguilon; Toney, Maupay

Prediction

Both London clubs are facing a poor run of results and desperately need victory to potentially usher in a string of positive results.

While West Ham’s ninth position in the League look flattering thanks to their brilliant start to the season, Brentford are only five points above relegation places and relegation fears could be dampened if they face defeat at the London Stadium.

One big difference between the two teams is that West Ham have performed poorly in their past couple of matches, while Brentford have portrayed combativeness and a sense of urgency in their matches.

Hence, Brentford should come out victorious in this tie.