Palace take on West Ham in Saturday's tea-time London derby.
After a third defeat in four games, the Hammers face Palace for this Saturday tea-time London derby, with aims of lifting themselves out of 18th place. West Ham United vs. Crystal Palace kicks off at 15:00 [GMT+1] on Saturday, September 20, at the London Stadium.
West Ham have endured a difficult start and carry worrying form into this clash, having suffered their third defeat in four games [LLWL] following last weekend’s 3-0 loss to Tottenham. That famous defeat not only piled more pressure on Graham Potter but also left the Hammers in 18th place. They head into the weekend’s London derby with Palace hoping to avoid back-to-back Premier League defeats. However, the Hammers have lost four of their last six league meetings with Crystal Palace, managing just one win in that run – a 2-0 success at Selhurst Park last season. At home, things look even bleaker. They are winless in their last seven Premier League matches at the London Stadium (D3 L4) and have lost their last three in a row by an aggregate score of 10-2. Another defeat here would mark their first run of four successive home league losses since Manuel Pellegrini’s final weeks in charge back in late 2019. For West Ham, defensive issues remain the biggest concern. They have conceded three or more goals in three of their four league fixtures so far this season, a vulnerability that threatens to derail their campaign before it gathers momentum. Only two teams in Premier League history have let in three or more goals in four of their opening five games of a season – Everton in 2024-25 and West Ham themselves back in 2010-11. Graham Potter will be desperate to avoid repeating that unwanted statistic. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Niclas Füllkrug in attack is expected against Palace.
Palace, meanwhile, have every reason to travel with confidence. They are unbeaten in their last six Premier League visits to the London Stadium (W3 D3) and could secure back-to-back away league victories against West Ham for the first time in over a decade, stretching back to February 2015. Their recent away form has been excellent more generally, with just two defeats across their last 17 away league matches (W8 D7). A key factor in that success has been defensive solidity: Palace have kept nine clean sheets in their last 15 away games, matching a total that previously took them 51 matches to achieve. They will look to capitalise on West Ham’s defensive frailties, especially given their strong away form, when they take the shape of a 3—4—2—1 formation. Mateta is expected at the attacking end of the set-up.