West Ham vs Fulham at London Stadium on Saturday brings a key relegation battle, with Nuno Espirito Santo still chasing a first clean sheet since August and Opta data rating the contest almost even, as both clubs look to stabilise their Premier League seasons before the second half of the campaign.
West Ham enter Christmas in 18th place with 13 points, matching their lowest haul at this stage of a Premier League season, set in 2010-11 when they went down, and they now seek to halt a six-match winless league run that includes back-to-back defeats.
This is the fifth time West Ham have occupied a relegation place on Christmas Day during the Premier League era, yet history offers some comfort, as on the two previous occasions they were in the bottom
three but not 20th 18th in 2006-07 and 19th in 2009-10 they stayed up.
Nuno’s side have collected only 10 Premier League points since the Portuguese coach’s first match in charge, with the Opta supercomputer noting that only Burnley, with seven, and Wolves, with one, have earned fewer in that period, highlighting limited impact from the managerial change.
West Ham have not managed a shutout since beating Nottingham Forest in August, when Nuno was managing Forest, and that ongoing failure to keep opponents out has become central to the coach’s planning for Fulham, especially with a congested festive schedule creating little time for full recovery.
Nuno explained the work being done to fix those problems, saying: "We’re training, training, training, preparing for the matches as its a busy schedule. We need to improve. Since day one, since we arrived, it was clear that we needed to improve a lot of aspects in our team, defensively and offensively. "
The West Ham manager added that progress has been mixed, continuing: "We are trying and sometimes it works out. Sometimes we score and sometimes we concede more than we should. We are still chasing the primary objective of having a clean sheet, being solid and compact, and it’s another test for us against Fulham. "
West Ham vs Fulham momentum, Marco Silva comments and London derby context
Fulham come into the London derby with a 10-point cushion above the relegation zone, having followed a 3-2 comeback win at Burnley with a 1-0 home victory over Nottingham Forest on Monday, a sequence that has eased pressure and strengthened Marco Silva’s position entering the festive period.
Silva underlined the importance of building on the Burnley success, stating: "The away win against Burnley was going to have bigger impact if we could win again, back at home. We spoke about that before the match, the importance of the game, and it’s good to win back-to-back in the league after two games that we deserved more from. "
West Ham vs Fulham key players to watch in attack
Jarrod Bowen is West Ham’s main attacking threat at home, having scored in six of his past 12 Premier League appearances at London Stadium, yet that record carries a warning, as West Ham failed to win any of those six matches in which Bowen found the net, drawing three and losing three.
History shows that only five players in Premier League history have experienced a longer sequence of scoring in seven straight home games without winning, with the most recent similar case involving Oliver McBurnie at Sheffield United between December 2020 and April 2024.
For Fulham, Raul Jimenez has a strong scoring record against West Ham, with six Premier League goals versus the Hammers, a tally matched only against Everton, and the striker strengthened personal records when his penalty against Forest drew level with Yaya Toure for the best 100% spot-kick conversion rate in league history, converting all 11 penalties taken.
West Ham vs Fulham historical record and Opta match prediction
West Ham have suffered just one defeat in their last 14 Premier League home matches against Fulham, winning nine and drawing four, with the only loss in that time coming in April 2024, when David Moyes’ team fell 2-0, while Fulham also lost this fixture 3-2 last season in Graham Potter’s first game in charge of the Hammers.
Fulham have not been beaten more than once in league play by West Ham within the same calendar year since 2008, when they lost three times, and both clubs also have complex London derby records, as West Ham have been defeated in more Premier League derbies than any team, with 136 losses, while Fulham hold the highest loss percentage in such fixtures, with 95 defeats from 179 matches, a rate of 53%.
The Opta supercomputer rates West Ham vs Fulham as a tight contest, reflecting West Ham’s limited new manager bounce under Nuno, and projects home victory chances at 37.8%, an away win at 35.8%, and a draw at 26.4%, underlining how little separates the sides.
| Outcome | Win Probability |
|---|---|
| West Ham | 37.8% |
| Fulham | 35.8% |
| Draw | 26.4% |
Nuno currently averages 0.83 Premier League points per game as West Ham manager, the lowest figure for any permanent Hammers boss in the competition, and both West Ham and Fulham reach Saturday’s match aware that the result could shape confidence levels and direction for the rest of their relegation battles.
