Fulham v West Ham - Cottagers Home in on Survival Points?
Roy Hodgson faces his 4th London Derby this weekend in his short time as Fulham manager. He will be looking to end a run of 3 capital defeats against Chelsea, Arsenal and this weekend’s opponents West Ham. This is arguably the hardest match to predict of all the Premier 10 fixtures this week and with an estimated £12,500 jackpot to play for, it may be well worth covering your options on this game.
Fulham ripped up, burnt and shredded the formbook in their last game at Craven Cottage, as they beat high-flying away specialists Villa. The Hammers aren’t in the form the Villans were, but they are a side the Cottagers historically struggle against. West Ham haven’t lost to Fulham in the last 8 encounters home and away (won 5). In fact, the Cottagers last win over the East Londoners was back in November 2001 at Upton Park. You have to look back a total of 42 years since Fulham last won a home League match against the Hammers. Jim Reeves was number 1 in the charts with ‘Distant drums’. It was the same year that England won the Football World Cup and the Beatles released their legendary album ‘Revolver’.
Fulham need to start picking up points and fast, they remain 3 points adrift of safety and haven’t won away from home in 16 months. Therefore their home matches take on even more importance and this is a fixture the Cottagers will feel they can and must win. The victory over Villa will have boosted belief amongst both the players and the fans so it may well be worth backing the home side. However, it’s hard to predict how the inconsistent Hammers will perform on the day.
The Hammers have had 2 poor results in a row against struggling sides at the foot of the Premier League. Alan Curbishley’s side lost 1-0 at Wigan and drew 1-1 at home to Birmingham. These results may illustrate a lack of commitment against sides scrapping for survival from a Hammers side with little to play for. Therefore back the home side on Premier 10 to gain an important 3 points in their quest to stay in the Premier League.
Pundit’s Pick: Home is where the points are for Fulham (home win) Would you agree with this result for your Premier 10 prediction? Play Now>>
Tags: 23/02/08, COttagers, Fulham, Hammers, Premier League, preview, West Ham
