Key events
“This could be fun,” writes Jeremy Boyce. “Nuno will surely get more of a tune out of the Hammers in the 10 days he’s had than Potter could have done in 10 years. Keith Andrews’ ‘pace and chaos’ could be the perfect foil for Nuno’s thoughtful approach. As a Leeds fan I’m already worrying about Friday night at Fortress (?) Elland and how Nuno will unpick us. 2-1 Hammers tonight.”
More on that planned boycott, led by fan group Hammers United. They’ve called for fans to stay away tonight, in protest at the club hierarchy. “West Ham was built by working people who stood up for what’s right,” Andy McConnell, joint secretary of Hammers United, told the Evening Standard. “Boycotting this game is a stand in that same tradition — not against the players, but against years of incompetence and broken promises from the very top.”
“We have good options and solutions, starting and on the bench” Nuno tells Sky. “It’s a great chance for us to connect with our fans,” he says, and brushes off concerns over a potential fan boycott tonight.
On Brentford, he adds: “a very good team, same threat as under Thomas Frank, very dangerous on set pieces.” And will Bowen lead the line? “You’ll find out in an hour!” He seems in a good mood, at least.
Brentford’s last away game – a 3-1 defeat to Fulham – was exactly a month ago, and since then they’ve beaten Manchester United and lost to City at home. Appearing on Monday Night Football, Keith Andrews reveals he is going with three up top, having largely used a 5-3-2 setup in recent games. He also plans to continue embracing pace and chaos, telling Sky “we handle it better than a lot of other teams”.
Nuno has sprung some surprises in that line-up, with youngster Ollie Scarles in at left-back and Andy Irving making just his second Premier League start. With Niclas Füllkrug injured, it’s unclear who will start as centre-forward – my best guess would be Jarrod Bowen, but Summerville and Paquetá can also step in to that role.
Team news
West Ham (4-3-3): Areola; Walker-Peters, Todibo, Kilman, Scarles; Irving, Soucek, Fernandes; Summerville, Bowen (c), Lucas Paquetá.
Subs: Hermansen, Wilson, Diouf, Mavropanos, Rodríguez, Magassa, Wan-Bissaka, Potts, Marshall.
Brentford (4-3-3): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins (c), Van den Berg, Ajer; Henderson, Yarmolyuk, Damsgaard; Ouattara, Schade, Thiago.
Subs: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Jensen, Nelson, Carvalho, Onyeka, Lewis-Potter, Janelt.
Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire)
Catch up with the weekend’s key Premier League moments here:
Preamble
Welcome to the Nuno Zone. West Ham, the team currently managed by Nuno Espírito Santo, kick off here 19th in the table, sandwiched between two other clubs he previously managed – Wolves and Nottingham Forest, where the wheels have fallen off spectacularly since he left just under six weeks ago.
Nuno might still look like the man who walked away unscathed from an escalating bin fire, but West Ham’s next four games might be crucial if he is to do what everyone expects and carry them clear of danger in a sensible fashion. They face four of the five teams immediately above the Nuno Zone with a trip to Leeds before home assignments against Newcastle and Burnley.
Turning around West Ham’s awful home form is top of Nuno’s to-do list: almost a month into his tenure, this is his first game in charge at the London Stadium. Tonight’s opponents at least have an equally poor away record – no points from three games, including a defeat to Nuno’s Forest in the distant fog of August.
Head-to-head form is very much in Brentford’s favour, though: in eight Premier League meetings, West Ham have won just once. Keith Andrews’ side will also sense a chance to move away from danger tonight. Kick-off: 8pm BST.
