West Ham United and Fulham are in action for the first time post-Christmas when they go head-to-head at the London Stadium in round 18 of the Premier League on Saturday.
Both sides head into the weekend in contrasting form, with the Hammers failing to win their last six matches while Marco Silva’s side could secure three straight league victories for the first time in almost three years.
FootballWhispers’ West Ham United vs Fulham prediction takes a look at the chances of both sides prevailing in the latest edition of the heated London derby.
Contents
- 1 West Ham United vs Fulham prediction: A cagey affair expected with bragging rights on the line
- 2 Most recent H2Hs: West Ham United hold the upper hand in heated derby
- 3 West Ham United preview: Key defensive duo ruled out
- 4 Fulham preview: Fresh Harry Wilson injury concerns
- 5 Player to watch — Jarrod Bowen
West Ham United vs Fulham prediction: A cagey affair expected with bragging rights on the line
Key stats
- Fulham have opened the scoring in five of their last seven games against West Ham United, while winning just two of the seven matches since October 2022.
- West Ham have failed to win 11 of their 13 Premier League home games since the start of March, losing eight and claiming three draws in that time.
- Fulham head into the weekend on a run of two back-to-back victories on their travels, having lost each of the five away games preceding this run.
- West Ham have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 14 matches, with seven of their most recent nine matches seeing both teams find the back of the net.
Correct score prediction: West Ham United 1-1 Fulham
It has been a hugely underwhelming league campaign for West Ham United, who find themselves in the bottom three post-Christmas, but they will draw inspiration from their stellar home record against rivals Fulham this weekend.
The Hammers are unbeaten in 14 of their last 15 games against Fulham at the London Stadium since December 2002, and given Fulham’s struggle for consistency, we predict they will hold out for a share of the spoils here.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Both sides evenly matched, with a stalemate most likely
- HOME: 13/8 (2.63) – 38.1%
- DRAW: 12/5 (3.40) – 29.4%
- AWAY: 8/5 (2.6) – 38.5%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Seventeen games into the 2025-26 Premier League season, West Ham United find themselves in the relegation conversation in what has been a challenging campaign so far.
Only the bottom two sides, Burnley (12) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (15), have lost more games than West Ham United (10), with the Hammers claiming three wins and four draws to collect 13 points and sit 18th in the table, five points away from safety.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men were no match for title contenders Manchester City last weekend as they fell to a 3-0 defeat when the two sides squared off at the Etihad Stadium.
With that result, West Ham have now gone six straight games without a win, losing three and claiming three draws since picking up consecutive victories over Newcastle United and Burnley in November, and their chance of victory this weekend is currently priced at 13/8 (2.63).
Fulham journey to the London Stadium off the back of securing back-to-back league wins for the third time this season, but they have been given a 38.5% win probability, almost even with West Ham’s 38.1%.
Having secured a 3-2 victory over Burnley on December 13, Raul Jimenez converted from the penalty spot late in first-half stoppage time to fire Fulham to a 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at Craven Cottage last Monday.
Sandwiched between the two league victories, Silva’s men were dumped out of the EFL Cup on December 17, when they lost 2-1 against Newcastle United in the quarter-finals after conceding a gut-wrenching 92nd-minute winner.
Fulham have blown hot and cold this season, picking up seven wins and losing eight of their 17 Premier League games so far to sit 13th in the table, level on 23 points with Brentford and Newcastle.
While we take a deeper look into both teams, you can take a peek at some of FootballWhispers’ best picks and predictions for their weekend’s fixtures in today’s free football betting tips.
Most recent H2Hs: West Ham United hold the upper hand in heated derby
West Ham United lead the way in this fixture across their most recent 10 meetings, having picked up five wins, three more than Fulham’s two victories since July 2019.
The Hammers picked up four points from a possible six against Fulham in the Premier League last season, holding out for a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage in September 2024 before securing a 3-2 victory at the London Stadium in the return fixture on January 14.
England Premier League 14/01/25
West Ham
Fulham
England Premier League 14/09/24
Fulham
West Ham
England Premier League 14/04/24
West Ham
Fulham
England Premier League 10/12/23
Fulham
West Ham
England Premier League 08/04/23
Fulham
West Ham
West Ham United preview: Key defensive duo ruled out
West Ham United will have to cope without the services of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and 20-year-old El Hadji Malick Diouf, who are currently at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations with Congo DR and Senegal respectively.
On the injury front, the Hammers remain without veteran goalkeeper Lucas Fabianski, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines since sustaining a back injury in September.
English youngster Oliver Scarles is a doubt after coming off injured against Manchester City last weekend, while Niclas Fullkrug, who is the subject of a move to Italy, is also out of contention for Saturday’s tie.
Predicted lineup: Areola (GK), Walker-Peters, Kilman, Todibo, Mayers, Potts, Fernandes, Magassa, Paqueta, Bowen & Wilson
Last five games
- Manchester City 3-0 West Ham United
- West Ham United 2-3 Aston Villa
- Brighton 1-1 West Ham United
- Manchester United 1-1 West Ham United
- West Ham United 0-2 Liverpool
Fulham preview: Fresh Harry Wilson injury concerns
Fulham have been left sweating over the fitness of in-form forward Harry Wilson, who had to be forced off midway through the game against Nottingham Forest last weekend.
The Nigerian trio of Calvin Bassey, Samuel Chukwueze and Alex Iwobi are currently on duty at the ongoing AFCON, while Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon are recuperating from hamstring and muscle injuries respectively.
Predicted lineup: Leno (GK), Tete, Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson, Lukic, Berge, Wilson, Smith Rowe, Kevin & Jimenez
Last five games
- Fulham 1-0 Nottingham Forest
- Newcastle United 2-1 Fulham
- Burnley 2-3 Fulham
- Fulham 1-2 Crystal Palace
- Fulham 4-5 Manchester City
Player to watch — Jarrod Bowen
Bowen endured a quiet outing against Manchester City last time out, but having netted in the two games leading up to their defeat against Pep Guardiola’s men, the England international will be one to keep an eye on this weekend.
With West Ham United misfiring this season, the 29-year-old has seven goal involvements under his belt across all competitions, including five goals in the Premier League so far.
Bowen has started all 17 league games for the Hammers this term and should retain his role at the attacking end of the pitch, alongside Brazilian international Lucas Paqueta, while Callum Wilson will push for just his seventh start this weekend.