Stoke v West Ham

Venue: Britannia Stadium Date: Saturday, 18 September Kick-off: 1245 BST
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 live, local radio, Final Score, live on Sky Sports 2 & highlights on Match of the Day

 

TEAM NEWS

Stoke have no new injury concerns ahead of the visit of West Ham United.

Manager Tony Pulis may opt to field an unchanged side following Stoke's first win of the season on Monday, and Eidur Gudjohnsen will again be on the bench.
West Ham manager Avram Grant and defender Tal Ben Haim will miss the game because it falls on the Jewish holy day Yom Kippur.
Danny Gabbidon and Thomas Hitzlsperger are struggling with hamstring and thigh injuries respectively.

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Stoke
Injured: Sidibe (Achilles)
West Ham
Doubtful: Gabbidon (hamstring), Hitzlsperger (thigh)
Injured/unavailable: Ben Haim (religious reasons), Collison, Hines & Kurucz (all knee)

MATCH PREVIEW

Avram Grant's hangdog demeanour may be nothing new, but if the rumours are true then the former Chelsea manager's future at West Ham looks bleak.

Dating back thousands of years, Yom Kippur is the most significant day of the Jewish year. It is a strict day of fasting and abstaining that forbids all followers to work. West Ham United fully respect and understand the situation West Ham statement on Avram Grant's absence

The Hammers have made their worst start to a league campaign in their 115-year history, and fans have already had to lower their expectations from a mid-table finish to simply top-flight survival. A fifth straight defeat at Stoke is unthinkable.
Grant will miss the game that many are speculating could decide his future in order to observe the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. Also missing for the same reason will be Tal Ben Haim, which means captain Matthew Upson's plea for a settled backline will go unheeded.
The Hammers need look no further than Stoke for inspiration. The Potters shrugged off their own nightmare start to the season with a late comeback against Aston Villa for their first victory of the campaign.
Tony Pulis illustrated his commitment to the cause by attending the Villa game despite a family bereavement earlier in the day, and the Stoke boss will be looking for the same level of bravery from his squad as he plots the club's ascent up the table.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
• These sides have met on 78 previous occasions. Stoke have won 29, West Ham 31 and there have been 18 draws.
• West Ham have won on three of their last four visits to Stoke.

606: DEBATE Have your say on this match

Stoke
• Stoke are yet to keep a clean sheet in five league and cup fixtures this season.
• They have lost six of their last nine Premier League matches.

• Kenwyne Jones is set to make his 100th Premier League appearance.
• Matthew Etherington has been the most successful crosser in the league this season, finding a team-mate 12 times.
West Ham
• Only Swindon in 1993/94 (-12) have ever had a worse goal difference after four Premier League games than West Ham this season (-10).
• The Hammers have kept one clean sheet in their last 16 league games.
• They have not won a match away from home since the opening day of last season (a 2-0 win at Wolves).

Referee: Lee Mason
Assistant referees: Andy Halliday & Mick McDonough
Fourth official: Kevin Friend

Under-1.8
Over-2.20