West Ham vs Sunderland – Preview, Lineups, Score Prediction
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Fixture: West Ham United v Sunderland
Competition: Premier League
Kick-off: 24th January, 12:30 UK time
West Ham United will welcome Sunderland on Saturday with a semblance of positivity and hope, having won two games on the trot, after a dismal run of ten games without a win, during which time they handed Wolves their only win of the season and lost a proverbial six-pointer against Nottingham Forest.
It cannot be said though, that the Hammers are carrying form into the fixture. The latest of those wins came against a Tottenham Hotspur side in turmoil, with both of West Ham’s goals coming with a slice of luck. This followed a FA Cup victory which felt less like magic of the cup and more a reality check; that even a campaign in the Championship next season will not be a cakewalk as they struggled to dispatch QPR. The Hammers needed extra-time and a winner from new signing Taty Castellanos, to finally prevail and savour a win for the first time since early November.
Nuno Espirito Santo will certainly be feeling the heat, with every side, bar the bottom three, looking like they can pick up a result on their day. The Hammers trail Nottingham Forest directly above them by five points, and Leeds United by a further three. Even the duo below them have begun showing some pluck, as Burnley have picked up consecutive draws against Liverpool and Manchester United, while Wolves remain unbeaten in 2026.
Two specific areas, namely defensive organisation and set-pieces, were targeted for immediate improvement by Nuno on his appointment. If Nuno has made any progress on those fronts, it has not been visible during their displays, as West Ham have not managed a single clean sheet in any of their 17 Premier League games under Nuno, a record bested, if that word could be used, by only three other managers. They have also shipped a league-high 12 headed goals, with only their record in the 2010/11 season being worse, when they let in 15 off an opponent’s head.
Sunderland have navigated their campaign admirably, but for a casual on-looker one win in six games might not be any reason for praise or platitudes for their recent form. What is commendable though, is that this period overlapped the Africa Cup of Nations, to which the Black Cats lost six players.
That testing period saw Sunderland drop to tenth in the standings, before last weekend’s result against Crystal Palace saw them climb up to ninth. The Black Cats only lost once, to Brentford, while picking up draws against Manchester City, Leeds, Brighton and Spurs.
Noah Sadiki and Arthur Masuaku of Congo, Mozambique’s Reinildo and Bertrand Traore representing Burkina Faso returned last week, with Masuaku and Traore bruised and in no state to return to action with the Black Cats. Morocco’s Chemsdine Talbi, and Habib Diarra who could not take the pitch for Senegal after picking up a yellow card against Egypt in the semi-final, have since returned to Wearside after the final.
Sunderland are remarkably only three points behind Liverpool in fourth. At least ten teams still have a realistic chance of qualifying for the Champions League, and Sunderland might just be the biggest fairy tale of a smaller subset of four or five less heralded teams from among the group, if they manage to achieve the feat.
The Black Cats will need to fix their away form to remain in contention, having not picked up a win in any of their last six games on the road.
Lucas Paqueta is likely to miss the game through a combination of injury and a desire to leave the club. Lukasz Fabianski remains sidelined, while the game may come too soon for new signing Keiber Lamadrid to partake in. Traore and Masuaku keep edging closer to the 28-day threshold to receive compensation from FIFA, with the latter a subject of interest for Belgian club Standard Liege.
Having won in August at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland have a chance of doing the double over West Ham for only the second time in the Premier League. The only other time they managed that feat was during the 2010/11 season when the Hammers were relegated.
Predicted Lineups
Recent Form (league)
West Ham United: WLLDL
Sunderland: WLDDD
Key Men
West Ham United
El Hadji Malick Diouf will be a welcome return to the squad. Diouf will shoulder some of the creative responsibility, with only Bowen creating more for the Hammers, while also adding the confidence that only victories can bring, being a vital member of the Senegal team.
Jarrod Bowen leads the club scoring charts with six league goals, followed by Callum Wilson at five and Paqueta at four. Bowen’s importance is only likely to increase, with at least Paqueta looking likely to leave.
Crysencio Summerville has rediscovered his scoring touch after a 28-game drought with two goals and an assist across his last two appearances, while each of his last three goals have been the openers of the match. Summerville will be crucial for West Ham to start quickly.
Sunderland
Granit Xhaka has made more line breaking passes that have led to a goal than any other player in the Premier League this season, with eight, and four of these have been direct assists. Xhaka, as always, will play a pivotal role from midfield.
Enzo Le Fee has scored in both of his last two competitive appearances, as Sunderland have won all five matches in which he has scored this season. Le Fee will be able to play with more abandon, without the need to conserve himself for 90 minutes, with Diarra back.
Match Prediction
Sunderland remain the only Premier League side yet to score in the opening 15 minutes of a match but the Black Cats have won 16 points from losing positions, with only Aston Villa gaining more with 18. Now is the Black Cats’ most in a single campaign in the competition, and the most by a promoted side since West Brom in 2010/11, who gained 27 points after a late season resurgence under Roy Hodgson.
West Ham and Sunderland have a similar goalscoring record, with only Callum Wilson’s winner last weekend taking them a notch higher. It is in defence where the two teams diverge; if Sunderland had not conceded the Yeremy Pino opener, the Hammers would have conceded exactly twice as many as the Black Cats.
The Hammers will need to start quickly and be wary of their own defensive frailties to make something of this fixture. Regis Le Bris will have the luxury of deploying Talbi and Diarra, both likely off the bench, after a long time too.
While the uncanny parallels between the 2010/11 season, when West Ham were last relegated, and this campaign might have the Hammers fans superstitious, making them fearful that these are ominous portents of doom, they will also hold out hope that their of trio of South American signings can lead them on a path that more closely follows the 2006/07 season.
The faithful will need no reminding of the role Carlos Tevez played, as West Ham escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth on the final day, as Tevez scored the only goal in a game against Manchester United, in a season in which Javier Mascherano was also signed.
Nuno will hope that they can pull off a similar escape, with maybe Castellanos even playing the role of his compatriot nearly two decades later.
They need to begin bringing in the points though, and if they fail to take advantage of Sunderland’s poor away record and a tendency to start slow, West Ham’s grasp on their own future will only slip further away.
Inside Futbol Score Prediction
West Ham United 2-2 Sunderland
Where To Watch?
West Ham United vs Sunderland will be broadcast live across the UK on the TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate channels with a 12:30 kick-off.
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