West Ham United v Crystal Palace | All You Need To Know

Moore Family Foundation…

As we take on Crystal Palace, we also spotlight the transformative work of the Moore Family Foundation (MFF). In partnership with the West Ham United Foundation, MFF empowers young people facing challenges in education through mentorship, skills training, and football-themed programmes.

The MFF was set up by Roberta Moore, daughter of Hammers legend Bobby Moore, in order to celebrate his enduring legacy and help shape brighter futures for young people.

MFF offers qualifications like Sports Leadership and Business Administration, builds confidence, and provides enriching experiences such as stadium tours.  

In the coming year, the programme will provide tailored support to 50 young people across three alternative provisions, expanding its legacy of opportunity and hope. With your help, more opportunities can be provided.   

For more information on how you can support the Moore Family Foundation, visit the West Ham United website or join us on match day to celebrate the legacy of Bobby Moore and the Foundation’s vital work.

Team News…

Winger Crysencio Summerville will be assessed ahead of the visit of Crystal Palace, having missed the home victory over Fulham on Tuesday night after suffering a hamstring injury at Villa Park last weekend. Niclas Füllkrug, meanwhile, will miss Saturday’s game after suffering his own hamstring problem in the same FA Cup tie.

Jarrod Bowen is recovering from a fractured foot suffered while playing against Liverpool on 29 December, while Alphonse Areola and Jean-Clair Todibo both missed Tuesday’s game at London Stadium and will also be assessed. 

Forward Michail Antonio remains on the sidelines following his car accident towards the start of December.

For Crystal Palace, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Maxence Lacroix and Tyrick Mitchell all returned from illness to feature against Leicester City on Wednesday, while Will Hughes returned from injury at King Power Stadium.

Adam Wharton, however, is an injury doubt for the Eagles’ visit to London Stadium, and long-term absentee Matheus França is out for the foreseeable future.

Opposition…

Hopes were raised that Crystal Palace could mount a challenge for European qualification this season after the Eagles soared to six wins in the final seven Premier League matches last term.

Liverpool, West Ham United, Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa were all swept aside by Oliver Glasner’s side, who scored an incredible 20 goals in those half-dozen victories.

Central to the south London side’s strong finish to 2023/24 were England creative Eberechi Eze, France winger Michael Olise and his compatriot Jean-Philippe Mateta, who plundered 17 of those 20 goals between them.

With Eze and Olise terrorising full-backs on each wing and Mateta leading the line, Palace morphed into one of Europe’s top teams in the closing weeks of the campaign, culminating in a tenth-place finish.

When you consider Palace had won just one of their previous nine matches prior to that impressive run, the optimism that flowed into Selhurst Park as the season concluded was understandable.

However, today’s visitors have been unable to sustain that form.

Olise departed in the summer, joining Bayern Munich, while defensive leader Joachim Andersen was also allowed to leave, for Fulham, and both have proved difficult to replace.

Glasner’s former Eintracht Frankfurt schemer Daichi Kamada and ex-Watford wide man Ismaïla Sarr were signed from Lazio and Marseille respectively, but have so far failed to replicate Olise’s outstanding attacking output, while former Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has yet to hit prime form up front.

At the back, Moroccan Chadi Riad and Frenchman Maxence Lacroix have been respectable, but as yet not replicated Andersen’s consistent level of performance.

Eze has flashed his supreme ability, but elsewhere neither centre-back Marc Guéhi nor central midfielder Adam Wharton have so far not replicated the displays that saw both named in England’s squad for UEFA Euro 2024.

With Mateta scoring five goals in his 20 Premier League performances to date, compared to the nine he scored in Palace’s six top-flight wins at the end of last season, the overall result has been Glasner’s side finding victories hard to come by.

In their opening 20 games, Palace scored just 21 goals and won just four times, albeit they did draw on nine occasions, leaving them looking nervously over their shoulders at the relegation zone just a few places below them.

While the Eagles should have more than enough quality to stay clear of the battle to stay up, and in Glasner they have a manager who led Eintracht past West Ham on the way to winning the UEFA Europa League in 2022, there has so far been a feeling that Palace have markedly underachieved to this point.

The experienced Austrian and his big players, namely Eze, Guéhi, Wharton and Mateta, need to rediscover the formula that made them world-beaters in the spring, if they are to replicate their strong end to the season again in 2024/25.