AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth will be hoping to maintain their impressive recent record against West Ham when they host the Londoners at Vitality Stadium on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
The Cherries are unbeaten in their past five meetings with the Hammers in the Premier League, winning three and drawing two.
Joshua King’s hat-trick started the run when Eddie Howe’s team triumphed 3-2 at Vitality Stadium in March 2017 before both fixtures were drawn in 2017/18.
Goals from Callum Wilson and Steve Cook saw the Cherries claim a 2-1 win at London Stadium last season before Wilson and King were on target in a 2-0 victory at Vitality Stadium in January.
Wilson also plundered a hat-trick against the Hammers when the Cherries registered their first Premier League win at the start of the 2015/16 season.
West Ham are currently one point and one place above the Cherries having won three and drawn one of their past four games.
Goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Aaron Cresswell saw them win 2-0 against Manchester United on Sunday, while they have also beaten Watford and Norwich.
Manuel Pellegrini’s team, however, crashed out of the Carabao Cup in midweek after going down 4-0 against League One outfit Oxford United.
Ahead of the game, afcb.co.uk caught up with Giuseppe Muro, who covers the fortunes of West Ham for the Evening Standard.
afcb.co.uk: How have West Ham started the season?
GM: Before Wednesday’s 4-0 defeat at Oxford United in the Carabao Cup, everything was looking good.
They beat Manchester United 2-0 last weekend to make in three straight wins in the Premier League and all the talk around West Ham has been about qualifying for Europe.
After some difficult years since moving to the London Stadium, the club looks in the best place it has been in for a while.
Manuel Pellegrini will hope that result at Oxford was just a blip and it will not derail their good start.
afcb.co.uk: Who has been the pick of the summer signings?
GM: Sebastien Haller (pictured above).
West Ham smashed their transfer record to sign Haller for £45million after they sold Marko Arnautovic to China and he already looks like a good piece of business.
Bayern Munich were interested in Haller before he moved to West Ham which is a sign of how highly rated he is in Europe.
A strong forward who can play with his back to goal and can finish, the Frenchman has scored three goals in five starts this season.
afcb.co.uk: How best has Manuel Pellegrini made his mark in his 16-month tenure?
GM: Probably by helping to bring some stability to the club.
West Ham had a really tumultuous few years after leaving Upton Park in 2016 but there is real excitement about what they can achieve with Pellegrini and a talented group of players.
Owners David Sullivan and David Gold deserve some credit, too. West Ham were a bit of a laughing stock when some fans invaded the pitch in a game against Burnley last March. But the future now looks bright.
afcb.co.uk: How has Jack Wilshere fared this season?
GM: After missing most of last season with another ankle injury, he is still getting back to his best and has been struggling to get into the team.
Wilshere (pictured above) started the first two games of the season alongside Declan Rice in midfield but Mark Noble came straight back in when he returned from injury and Wilshere has been out of the side since then.
Pellegrini really likes him, though, and the hope is he can get back to being the player who first broke through at Arsenal.
afcb.co.uk: Who is the dangerman to look out for?
GM: Felipe Anderson.
With Manuel Lanzini out injured, West Ham will rely a lot on Anderson to create things for them.
The Brazilian makes the game look easy at times. He is such a talented player and glides past defenders.
Last season, a video went viral of him adjusting his gloves while dribbling with the ball against Arsenal.
Andriy Yarmolenko is another player Bournemouth will need to keep a close eye on. He scored against Manchester United last weekend.
afcb.co.uk: What are the supporters’ hopes for the season?
GM: Europe is the aim.
There has even been some talk from Noble about making an outside push for the top four given how inconsistent Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United have been so far.
That will be tough but there is no reason why West Ham cannot finish in the top six.
afcb.co.uk: What’s your score prediction?
GM: 2-2.
These are the games West Ham have tended to struggle in but they need a response after Wednesday.
You can follow Giuseppe on Twitter – @giuseppemuro
Match officials: Stuart Attwell (referee), Constantine Hatzidakis (assistant), Nicholas Hopton (assistant), Neil Hair (fourth official), Andrew Madley (VAR), Stephen Child (assistant VAR).
