West Ham will hope to arrest their four-game losing streak on Friday evening when they entertain Brentford at the London Stadium in the Premier League.
The Hammers were beaten 3-1 by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Boxing Day, which left them just a point above the relegation zone. They are in dire need of a victory as the pressure mounts on David Moyes.
Brentford, on the other hand, are unbeaten in their last four top-flight games, drawing three and winning one of those. They were held to a 2-2 draw by Tottenham on Boxing Day, after leading 2-0 inside 55 minutes.
With a spicy London derby on the cards, here are the key battles that could define the outcome of the game.
#Ivan Toney vs Thilo Kehrer
West Ham’s fragile defence faces a humungous task in stopping Brentford’s star striker—Ivan Toney.
Toney has 10 goals and two assists in 14 games and scored in Brentford’s 2-2 draw with Spurs on Boxing Day. Due to his physicality, aerial ability and hold-up play, the Englishman is a real handful, and given West Ham’s frailties at the back, he should be licking his lips ahead of facing them.
Summer signing Thilo Kehrer has not yet made a telling impact at West Ham, perhaps because he has had to alter between playing at centre-back and right-back. However, with key players missing in defence, Kehrer could find himself operating as a centre-half again.
Toney could look to target Kehrer by playing on the West Ham man’s shoulders. How Kehrer deals with the Brentford striker will be intriguing to watch.
#Lucas Paqueta vs Christian Norgaard
Like Kehrer, Lucas Paqueta hasn’t pulled up trees at West Ham since joining from Lyon in the past summer transfer window. Of course, a shoulder injury sustained against Southampton in October disrupted his rhythm but the creative midfielder is yet to properly demonstrate why West Ham smashed their transfer record for him.
After representing Brazil at the World Cup and performing decently, Paqueta has to quickly find his form and help West Ham get out of the rut. Brentford boss Thomas Frank will be wary of Paqueta’s threat and could task Christian Norgaard to keep a close watch on him.
Norgaard is a crucial cog in the Brentford engine room, acting as an efficient disruptor from the deepest of the midfield. He is an excellent ball-winner and distributor, often playing a key role during transitions. If the Dane can limit Paqueta’s quality on the ball and movement, Brentford’s chances of getting a positive result at the London Stadium will go higher.
#Jarrod Bowen vs Rico Henry
Jarrod Bowen may not have been at the top of his game this season but he still remains one of West Ham’s most potent weapons going forward. He is expected to start on the right of the front three for Moyes’ side.
Brentford’s left wing-back Rico Henry should come up against Bowen. Henry is an attacking wing-back who likes to get involved in build-up play, bomb forward and deliver crosses in the box. However, with Bowen expected to be on his flank, he has to be defensively diligent and cannot leave spaces for the West Ham man to exploit.
All in all, it promises to be an exciting contest between Bowen and Henry.