PREVIEW | Fulham vs West Ham - team news, lineups, predictions

Craven Cottage is braced for a mid-week London derby on Wednesday when Marco Silva’s resurgent Fulham welcome a West Ham side desperate for points in the 2025-26 Premier League. Kick-off is at 19:30 GMT and the contest will be shown live on TNT Sports, with both clubs heading in opposite directions as Match Day 29 approaches.

Fulham, sitting ninth on 40 points, arrive buoyed by a dramatic 2-1 victory over Tottenham last time out, their third straight match without defeat and a run that has seen them score in 11 consecutive home fixtures. The Cottagers have tasted defeat only once in their last seven on the banks of the Thames, although defensive frailties linger: they have conceded in each of their last six at the Cottage and 12 in a row overall. Marco Silva’s men will look to maintain that free-scoring form while tightening up at the back.

West Ham, languishing in 18th with 25 points, travel across the capital after a sobering 5-2 reverse at home to Liverpool. It extended their winless sequence to two matches and leaves Nuno Espírito Santo’s outfit still searching for the consistency to climb out of the drop zone. Encouragingly, the Hammers have found the net in each of their last five away assignments and have lost only one of their previous five in all competitions, hinting at resilience beneath the recent score-lines.

Team selection offers plenty of intrigue. Silva is expected to stick closely with the XI that toppled Spurs: Bernd Leno between the sticks; a back four of Kenny Tete, Calvin Bassey, Issa Diop and Ryan Sessègnon; a midfield engine room anchored by Sander Berge alongside the creativity of Alex Iwobi and Harry Wilson; and an attacking trident of Emile Smith Rowe, Oscar Bobb and veteran finisher Raúl Jiménez.

Nuno, meanwhile, must decide whether to shuffle a defence that shipped five last weekend. Mads Hermansen should continue in goal behind a likely back four of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Kostas Mavropanos, Axel Disasi and El Hadji Diouf. Midfield options include Mateus Fernandes, Soungoutou Magassa and skipper Tomás Soucek, while wide threat Jarrod Bowen and in-form Crys Summerville will aim to supply striker Taty Castellanos, who has contributed to the Hammers’ recent run of scoring away from home.

Head-to-head history adds spice. Across 100 previous meetings West Ham hold the overall edge with 45 wins to Fulham’s 33, yet at Craven Cottage the hosts have shaded matters: 21 victories from 50 fixtures, compared to 18 for the Irons. In 49 top-flight encounters, the Hammers have 23 wins, the Cottagers 16, with ten draws.

The managerial match-up also tilts Silva’s way. The Fulham boss has faced Nuno 11 times, winning six, drawing one and losing four. Against West Ham specifically, Silva has overseen 12 contests, registering seven wins, one draw and four defeats. Nuno, meanwhile, has taken on Fulham ten times as a manager, winning five, drawing one and losing four.

Form, history and firepower all point toward an enthralling 90 minutes. Fulham’s desire to push toward the top half meets West Ham’s urgent need for survival points, setting the stage for a derby that could hinge on which side tightens up at the back while keeping its attacking edge.

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