Daily WHUFC News - 30th April 2016

Preview - WBA
Whufc.COM

The background

West Ham United return to Barclays Premier League action on Saturday when
they travel to the West Midlands to take on West Bromwich Albion.

European qualification is very much on the Hammers' radar as they head to
the Hawthorns, with three points the aim as they look to book a place in the
UEFA Europa League – or even mount a late bid for the Champions League – in
2016/17.

With Liverpool and Southampton breathing down their necks, Slaven Bilic
knows his team will need to maintain their unbeaten run to keep them at bay.
The Hammers are nine without defeat and will attempt to register
back-to-back wins having beaten Watford last time out.

West Brom, meanwhile, ended a three-game losing streak on Monday when they
came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur – putting a huge
dent in Spurs' title ambitions in the process.

The Baggies are safely in mid-table, with their 41 points positioning them
13th in the standings. However, they have gone six games without victory,
defeating Manchester United 1-0 on 8 March to give their last three-point
haul.
The history

Saturday's game will be the 100th time the Hammers have met West Brom in
Premier League, Football League, FA Cup or League cup action.

The Baggies lead the head-to-head with 39 wins to West Ham's 37, but Bilic's
side will be looking to win at the Hawthorns for a second year in succession
in the league.

Last season, Kevin Nolan and James Tomkins scored the goals to give the east
Londoners a 2-1 victory.

Earlier this campaign, a Winston Reid own goal cancelled out Mauro Zarate's
early free kick and ensured the points would be shared.
The match

Team news

West Ham United

Slaven Bilic has the luxury of a fully fit squad to choose from for
Saturday's game. Sam Byram and James Collins have recently returned from
injuries, while Andy Carroll has been in fine form up front, with six goals
in his last six games.
West Bromwich Albion

Baggies duo Ben Foster and Saido Berahino will both be assessed after
missing their draw with Spurs due to ankle injuries.

James Morrison is back in training following a hamstring injury, but is
unlikely to play on Saturday.
Match info

Saturday's referee is Lee Mason. He will be assisted by Dave Bryan and
Andrew Fox, with Michael Oliver as fourth official.
Seven of the 13 Premier League meetings have been drawn, including the last
two.
West Brom are on a six-match winless run and have only scored twice in that
period (D2, L4).
Their last two home matches have ended in 1-0 defeats.
Only Aston Villa (25) have scored fewer league goals than the Baggies' 32
this season.
The Baggies have created a Premier League-low 169 goalscoring attempts from
open play this season.
West Ham are unbeaten in nine league matches (W4, D5).
They have gone four successive away games without defeat despite conceding
two goals in each (W1, D3).
The Hammers have scored 15 times in their last six matches, in contrast to
West Brom's two goals over the same period.
Dimitri Payet has created 102 Premier League chances this season - 75 more
than West Brom's leading player, Darren Fletcher.
Tickets, travel, coverage and other info

Tickets for this game have SOLD OUT.
A damp afternoon is expected at the Hawthorns, with the temperature only set
to reach 7C (45F).
Click here for the latest travel news on the roads and here for trains.
If you're not heading to the game, our digital channels are where you need
to be to catch all the action. The whufc.com Live Match Centre will have
live audio commentary, updates from social media, in-running stats and
photos and more, while you can get involved in the conversation on social
media using the hashtag #WBAWHU

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Academy set for trio of overseas trips
WHUFC.com

The domestic season may be coming to a close, but West Ham United's Academy
sides are set for an exciting summer of action overseas. The Hammers' youth
team will complete their Barclays U18 Premier League campaign at Everton on
Saturday. Meanwhile, the Development Squad will hope to end on a high when
they travel to Hull City for the U21 Premier League Cup final second leg on
Wednesday 4 May holding a slender 1-0 advantage. On the same day, the
Academy will also send an 18-player squad to the prestigious FC Blue
Stars/FIFA Youth Cup tournament in Zurich, Switzerland. Then, between 20-22
May, a squad will take part in the HKFC Citibank Soccer Sevens 2016
tournament in Hong Kong, where the Hammers will look to go one better than
last year, when they finished as runners-up.
In July, a West Ham United XI will travel to partner club VVV-Venlo for a
special match honouring the Dutch club's former player Herman Teeuwen, and a
second game against PSV Eindhoven's U21s. Academy Director and Head of
Coaching and Player Development Terry Westley said all three would be of
huge benefit to the Club's young players. "As an Academy, we always look to
give our young players the broadest possible footballing education, and
these three events will certainly help us to do that," said Westley. "With
regard to Venlo, we are coming to the end of the first year of our
partnership and it has gone very well. They are doing very well and are just
a handful of games away from gaining promotion, so we wish them all the best
in their Play-Off matches. "Sam has gone there and benefitted from training
with the first team on a daily basis, has been involved on matchdays, and
also developed his life skills away from the pitch. "Manchester City have
recently agreed a partnership with NAC Breda, so they too can clearly see
the benefit of sending young players to a technical league in Holland. "The
ultimate aim is to have an arrangement similar to that which Chelsea have
with Vitesse Arnhem, where their young players are playing against the likes
of Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord and top international players. "We are looking
forward to sending a squad to the Netherlands in the summer and spending a
week training at Venlo, while also playing pre-season matches with PSV U21s
and Venlo's first team."

At the FC Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup, the Hammers have been placed in Group B
and will face U21 squads from Chinese club Guangzhou, Belgian giants
Anderlecht and Swiss sides FC Zürich and FC Luzern in matches of 20 minutes
per half. West Ham will play three matches on Wednesday, kicking-off against
FC Luzern at 3pm before facing Anderlecht at 4.40pm and ending the day
against FC Zürich at 7.10pm. Thursday will see the Hammers tackle Guangzhou
at 11.40am before taking part in a play-off match to determine their
finishing position in the afternoon. Group A contains host club FC Blue
Stars, Dutch side Feyenoord, Portuguese club Benfica, Germans FC St. Pauli
and Swiss outfit Grasshoppers. West Ham will be competing in the FC Blue
Stars/FIFA Youth Cup tournament for the first time since 1983, when Tony
Carr took a squad containing Alan Dickens and George Parris to Switzerland.
Prior to that, the Hammers finished second to Manchester United in both 1966
and 1968 and third behind the same winners and Italian club Verona in 1959.
Looking further into the future, the Academy will send a West Ham United XI
to the Netherlands for two pre-season matches against PSV U21s and partner
club Venlo. The PSV fixture will be played on Wednesday 27 July, while the
Herman Teeuwen Memorial match will be played at Venlo's Seacon Stadion on
Saturday 30 July 2016 at 3pm local time. The game will be the centrepiece of
a week-long training camp – reciprocating an arrangement which saw the Dutch
squad train at Rush Green for a week during their January mid-season break
and play out a goalless draw with the Development Squad. Venlo have
benefitted from the arrangement this season, with young defender Sam Westley
playing his part in the club's challenge for promotion from the Dutch second
tier. With one league match remaining, Venlo sit second in the table and
will face fifth-place Go Ahead Eagles in a two-legged Nacompetitie promotion
play-off in mid-May. Should they win that tie, Venlo will go through to
semi-finals and potentially a final round in the hope of being promoted back
to the top flight after a three-year absence. *The Academy will complete
their Barclays U18 Premier League Group Two Play-Off campaign with a visit
to Everton on Saturday 30 April at 11am. The Hammers have drawn five of
their six Group Two fixtures but can end on a high by defeating the Toffees
at their Finch Farm Training Ground.

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West Bromwich Albion v West Ham United
SAT, 30 APR 2016PREMIER LEAGUE
15:00
Venue: The Hawthorns
Craig Dawson

TEAM NEWS

West Brom pair Ben Foster and Saido Berahino will be assessed after missing
Monday night's draw at Tottenham with ankle injuries. Midfielder James
Morrison is training again after a hamstring injury but is unlikely to
feature. Youngsters Jonathan Leko and Tyler Roberts have been training with
the first team and could be involved.

West Ham have a fully-fit squad, meaning in-form forward Andy Carroll is set
to start again for the Hammers.

MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES

Simon Brotherton: "Having seen West Brom throw a large spanner in
Tottenham's title challenge works, West Ham will know their opponents aren't
in beach mode yet. The Hammers need the points to strengthen their hold on
sixth place, which would give them a spot in the Europa League. "Liverpool
and Southampton are breathing down their neck and although seventh place
might still be enough should Manchester United win the FA Cup, Slaven Bilic
is understandably keen for his side to keep matters in their own hands.
"West Ham's form is by far the better of the two; they're unbeaten in nine,
while West Brom are looking for a first win in seven."

Twitter: @SimonBrotherton

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY

West Brom head coach Tony Pulis: "West Ham have had a wonderful season. They
have signed some good players and Slaven (Bilic) is a good manager.
"He has come back to England, knows the scene, and taken the bull by the
horns."

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "The top six is a target and it has been a
target for quite a while now. It wasn't a target at the beginning of the
season but with four games to go we have a little bit of a gap, but we can't
afford to lose games. It's going to be hard but we are unbeaten in a long
time, we have had a good run and we are fully motivated. If we continue to
play like we have been playing, we have a good chance."

LAWRO'S PREDICTION

West Brom ended a run of three straight defeats with a draw against
Tottenham on Monday. Tony Pulis' side never seem to have to wait too long to
pick up a point - and when they get one decent result they tend to get two
or three on the bounce.

Lawro's prediction: 2-1

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

Seven of the 13 Premier League meetings have been drawn, including the last
two.
West Brom won 4-0 in the FA Cup fifth round last year when West Ham last
visited The Hawthorns.
West Bromwich Albion

West Brom are on a six-match winless run and have only scored twice in that
period (D2, L4).
Their last two home matches have ended in 1-0 defeats.
Only Aston Villa (25) have scored fewer league goals than the Baggies' 32
this season.
The Baggies have created a Premier League-low 169 goalscoring attempts from
open play this season.
West Ham United

West Ham are unbeaten in nine league matches (W4, D5).
They have gone four successive away games without defeat despite conceding
two goals in each (W1, D3).
The Hammers have scored 15 times in their last six matches, in contrast to
West Brom's two goals over the same period.
Dimitri Payet has created 102 Premier League chances this season - 75 more
than West Brom's leading player, Darren Fletcher.
SAM's verdict
Most probable score: 1-1 Probability of draw: 29%
Probability of home win: 31% Probability of away win: 40%
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by Professor Ian
McHale at the University of Salford that is used to predict the outcome of
football matches.

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Europa League means stronger squad for Irons
April 29, 2016
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
BKHammer

Slaven Bilic has hinted that West Ham qualifying for the Europa League for a
second consecutive season would potentially see the Hammers attempt to bring
a couple of extra players in during the transfer window, the London Evening
Standard reports. The Irons are sixth in the Premier League table currently
so stand a very good chance of playing in the continental competition next
season. And Bilic has suggested that qualifying for the tournament may see
them look to make more signings than they had initially planned. "Here at
West Ham, we are also thinking about next season. We don't know if we will
be in Europe but it won't affect our pre-season too much - perhaps we would
need another couple of players maximum," he told the London Evening
Standard. "The Premier League anyway is very demanding, especially with no
winter break, so you need a good, stable squad."

While the Hammers did not go too far in this season's competition - being
knocked out in the third qualifying round - the competition gave Bilic the
chance to give some of the prospects knocking on the door at the Boleyn
Ground an opportunity to show what they could do. But with the club's
profile arguably set to reach another level next season with the move to the
Olympic Stadium, the possibility of playing in Europe could also help the
club attract better players, and may help them move towards what may be one
of their major goals in reaching the Champions League, and thus, it may be
more important for Bilic to make the signings that help take them further in
next year's competition.

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Hammers top 50,000 season ticket holders
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 29th April 2016
By: Staff Writer

Karren Brady has revealed that West Ham expect in excess of 50,000 season
ticket holders to pack the Olympic Stadium from next season. Brady, speaking
in a new video (which you may see below) confirmed that the club have
reached the landmark figure for the new stadium - which is more than double
the number of season tickets sold this season for the final year at the
Boleyn Ground. "We would like to say a massive 'thank you' to the
50,000-plus season ticket holders who are going to be here fore the start of
next season," said Brady. "Not only have we had to increase the capacity to
60,000 to cope with the demand, but we will be very shortly completely sold
out of season tickets and corporate seats for our first season. "Plus, we
will have tens of thousands of fans on our waiting list for season tickets
for our second year."

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West Ham boss Slaven Bilic urges ex-players to become referees after
controversial decisions cost his side
JAMES BENGE
Evening Standard

Slaven Bilic would like to see newly retired players become referees in a
bid to help the beleaguered profession. Andy Carroll and Bilic avoided FA
punishment after criticising Jon Moss after his officiating of a 2-2 draw
with Leicester, in which a late penalty was awarded against the striker for
a challenge on Jeffrey Schlupp, and it is not the only occasion that West
Ham have felt aggrieved by referees' decisions. The Hammers have borne the
brunt of a string of controversial decisions over recent months, with a
report by former assistant referee Glenn Turner claiming Bilic's side would
be second were it not for 'errors' by officials. Bilic welcomed those
findings to an extent, but is convinced that more must be done to improve
the relationship between officials and players on the pitch. One of his
suggestions was that former players could turn from poachers into
gamekeepers and become referees. "It would help if some players wanted to,"
Bilic said. "It's a good job, a good career now, they are like
professionals. "It's a good idea because no one feels the frustration of the
players to say something to the referee than the players themselves."
Next season could see video assistants trialled in the FA Cup and Bilic is
eager for football's governing bodies to spread the technology as quickly as
possible. "For me there is no other option but technology – but up to some
limit," he said. "It shouldn't be like hockey, where you wait down there for
two or three minutes. But something like goal technology - that you don't
even notice and that there is no pause or stop in the game and they are
connected with watches or signals or whatever." "The sort of technology that
is there but doesn't affect the game. Because if the games loses its flow
then I'd rather have these mistakes."

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Slaven Bilic: West Ham will miss Europa League spot if we're complacent
during run-in
SLAVEN BILIC
Evening Standard

Four games to go, starting at West Brom tomorrow — and a great deal at stake
for us. To be realistic, a top-four finish, although mathematically
possible, will be very difficult. Of the other options still open to us, we
could move up to fifth or go down a couple of places. It's up to us and no
one is thinking that these last four games of the season will be anything
but a real challenge. I don't buy the theory that clubs who are safe in
mid-table are going to just roll over. Look at the way West Brom fought back
to draw 1-1 at Tottenham on Monday. You would expect nothing less from a
Tony Pulis team. If we approach these last four games of the season with any
complacency, then we will not finish with the points we need to qualify for
the Europa League. I have learned, by bitter example, that you never, ever
take anything for granted in football. Back in the mid-Nineties I was
playing for Karlsruher in the Bundesliga and we were due to play at
Wattenscheid in the final match of the season. They were already relegated,
while we had a chance, if we won, of finishing second. A point would
guarantee us a place in Europe but if we lost and Cologne, Leverkusen and
Dortmund all won, we would drop four places and not qualify. I was
suspended, having being sent off in the previous match against Bayern
Munich, but I travelled with the team and an hour and a half before kick
off, the Wattenscheid players were coming to us and saying: "Take it easy,
don't be too hard on us." Result? They beat us 5-1! All those other teams
won and we missed out on European football. That year was the first
Karlsruher had played in Europe and we reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals,
beating Porto, Bordeaux, PSV Eindhoven and Valencia on the way. We were
named the German team of the year — the votes were cast before that final
game — and the club had arranged a trip, I think it was to Sicily as a
treat. They cancelled everything after that final game.
Here at West Ham, we are also thinking about next season. We don't know if
we will be in Europe but it won't affect our pre-season too much — perhaps
we would need another couple of players maximum. The Premier League anyway
is very demanding, especially with no winter break, so you need a good,
stable squad. You don't need a massive squad if you are in Europe because
you lose that atmosphere and discipline. It's very hard for every individual
to feel important. Of course, there are more demands because of the schedule
and the travelling but you can cope.
You look at the players at Manchester City and Real Madrid who played in the
Champions League this week and will be in action again at the weekend — and
again next week in the second leg of their semi-final. It becomes a habit
for those clubs and players — they become used to that schedule — but for
clubs such as ours, it is more uncommon and could come as something of a
shock to our players.
For example, you could be flying to Turkey on Wednesday, play Thursday,
return on Friday and travel again on Saturday to play away in the Premier
League on Sunday. Adding another five players to your squad won't help but
the players will need to adjust. They've maybe been used to having a day off
on Wednesday but, should we qualify for Europe, they will be travelling on
that day next season. That needs preparation and consideration. You can't
dismiss such a schedule by shrugging your shoulders and saying: "So what?"
Hopefully, though, those situations will come for us. There is an added
factor. We are moving to a new home at the Olympic Park and we have to get
used to that. If that wasn't enough, we are also moving our training
headquarters from Chadwell Heath to Rush Green in time for pre-season.
Yes, many routines will be changing but there is no need to be apprehensive.
The stadium will be bigger, with 60,000 fans there, but it is still in East
London, not far from the Boleyn Ground — and it is our home. Yes, we are in
for some big changes but there is no reason to approach them with any
negativity. It is exciting for me, for the players, for the staff and the
supporters. All of that is a few months down the line. First, we have to
keep focused on the football — and that will be a challenge with just two
matches still to be played at our old stadium. There will be plenty of
emotion around, especially for that final game against Manchester United,
but we need to use that as motivation. We don't want it to weigh us down but
rather make us even more determined not to suffer disappointment and defeat
in those last two games, against Swansea and then United.

Juve are more than a club
I am thrilled that our opening match at our new home will be against
Juventus. The Old Lady are one of the biggest clubs in Europe, they are more
than a club if you like. I use them a lot to illustrate a point when I talk
to players, staff, my friends. "Yes," I say, "football is a sport but at
Juventus it is a sport for men." It is professional, serious — and no one is
bigger than the club. They have had some great players throughout their
history, such as Michel Platini, Liam Brady, Roberto Baggio, Zinedine Zidane
and Alessandro Del Piero, but it is always Juventus first and then the
individuals, which is great and the way it should be.

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West Ham boss Slaven Bilic does not want to rely on Manchester United safety
net
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 29/04/16 9:24am
SSN

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic does not want to end the season as a Manchester
United fan. The Hammers are chasing a top-six finish in the Premier League
and a place in Europe, but an FA Cup final win for the Red Devils could
extend the Europa League spots to seventh. However, Bilic is hoping West Ham
will have sewn up qualification themselves rather than wait on the outcome
of United's Wembley clash with Crystal Palace a week after the league
campaign has ended. "I would like to see [United] win it, that would give us
a bit of a cushion," said Bilic, whose side head to West Brom on Saturday.
"But the good thing is everything is in our hands and I'd rather us do it
than wait until one week after the season with our red flags and be a Man
United fan. "The top six is a target and it has been a target for quite a
while now. It wasn't a target at the beginning of the season but with four
games to go, we have a little bit of a gap but we can't afford to lose
games. "It's going to be hard, we have Liverpool and Southampton [behind
us]. But we are unbeaten in a long time, we have had a good run and we are
fully motivated. "If we continue to play like we have been playing, we have
a good chance."

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West Brom v West Ham preview: Slaven Bilic's European dream hangs in balance
Last Updated: 29/04/16 12:22pm
SSN

Dimitri Payet's inspirational form had led to West Ham being hailed as
Champions League contenders, but four draws out of five mean they are
looking over their shoulder to hold on to a Europa League spot. The fans are
still hoping to leave Upton Park in style and bringing European football to
their new stadium would be a fitting finale. West Brom's season appears
pretty much over, but do not expect Tony Pulis to allow his players any
respite - as Tottenham found to their cost.

Team news
Saido Berahino and Ben Foster will be assessed by West Brom. The pair missed
Monday's 1-1 draw at Tottenham with ankle injuries but Pulis is hopeful they
will be fit. James Morrison has returned to training after a hamstring
injury but is unlikely to feature while Chris Brunt is sidelined until next
season with a knee injury. Youngsters Jonathan Leko and Tyler Roberts have
been training with the first-team squad and could play a part on Saturday.
West Ham have a fully-fit squad. Slaven Bilic's side have had 10 days to
shake off any knocks sustained during the 3-1 win over Watford last time
out, and the Hammers boss has reported a clean bill of health. Andy Carroll
is set to start up front again after scoring six goals in his last six
games.

Opta stats

Seven of the last 10 Premier League meetings between West Bromwich Albion
and West Ham have ended in a draw.
West Ham have lost just two of their last 11 league away trips to West Brom
(won five, drawn four).
More than half of Andy Carroll's 23 Premier League goals for the Hammers
have been scored with his head (12 - 52 per cent).
Payet has created 102 goalscoring chances for West Ham so far; more than
twice as many as any team-mate, and 75 more than Darren Fletcher, who is
West Brom's most creative player this season.
Albion have crafted a league-low 169 goalscoring attempts from open play
this season.
Fourteen of the 18 Premier League goals that Berahino has scored since the
start of last season have come at the Hawthorns.

Merson's predictions

West Brom are a hard team to beat. You hear all these West Brom fans say:
"Oh, it's boring Tony Pulis football", but look where they are in the
league. How many teams go to Tottenham and get a result? And be in the
middle of the table. If Pulis was the manager of any of the three teams in
the relegation scrap, they'd be where West Brom are, which tells you
everything. West Brom fans need to be careful what they wish for. Having
said that, I think West Ham will win this game because they have to, and
it'll be quite an entertaining game.

Paul predicts: West Brom 1-2 West Ham - Andy Carroll to score first

Betting

West Ham have been made even-money favourites by Sky Bet to pick up an away
win at West Brom as they still chase the possibility of Champions League
football. The home side, who secured their Premier League status in Monday's
draw with Tottenham, are priced up at 14/5 to secure the win. Sky Sports
pundit Matt Le Tissier has tipped West Brom striker Solomon Rondon to score
the first goal. The Venezuelan has been priced at 6/1 to do this, while Phil
Thompson's first scorer tip is Dimitri Payet who is boosted from 6/1 to 7/1
to break the deadlock. Get the latest odds here.

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Slav is MAN and manager of the year
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 29, 2016 in Hugh's Blogs, News, Whispers
C and H

It's Player of the Year time when the obvious very often becomes totally
predictably and boring. Not this year,however, as players from unfashionable
clubs lead the way with ourselves and Leicester representing the changing of
the guard at the top of the Premier League. That's all been well covered and
we don't really expect Dimi to become the top man do we? However, it's not
the Player of the Year that interests me as the MAN…ager of the year and
although Claudio Ranieri will have a big shout I reckon there's only one
serious contender – Slaven Bilic.

Ranieri has dignity…Slav has the charm and integrity to go with it – he
refuses to moan about dodgy refs despite getting the seriously rough end of
the stick all season long. He's warm, funny and affectionate – a manager who
within a year has coped with a ridiculously long campaign, produced results
which nobody could have dreamed of and met triumph and the very odd defeat
with maturity and self belief. Who van forget his one liners about "parking
the bus with the handbrake on" or away wins being as "good as walking into a
room full of girls."
No wonder we all love him. He has restored a footballing philosophy we had
thought was dead forever and done it with a huge smile on his face.
Integrity is his watchword – he tells the truth in all circumstances and has
brought the pride back to not only this great club but to the game of
football as a whole. Slaven Bilic step forward – you are unquestionably the
MAN and manager of the year with this website!

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West Brom vs West Ham: Team news, kick-off time, probable line-ups, odds and
stats for the Premier League clash
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 10:58, 29 April 2016 | UPDATED: 10:59, 29 April 2016
MailOnline

Ahead of the action, Sportsmail will be providing you with all you need to
know about every fixture, with team news, provisional squads, betting odds
and Opta stats. Here is all the information you need as West Ham make the
trip to the Hawthorns.

TEAM NEWS
West Brom
Saido Berahino and Ben Foster will be assessed by West Brom ahead of the
visit of West Ham in the Barclays Premier League. The pair missed Monday's
1-1 draw at Tottenham with ankle injuries but boss Tony Pulis is hopeful
they will be fit to face the Hammers. James Morrison has returned to
training after a hamstring injury but is unlikely to feature while Chris
Brunt is sidelined until next season with a knee injury. Youngsters Jonathan
Leko and Tyler Roberts have been training with the first team squad and
could play a part on Saturday.

Provisional squad: Foster, Myhill, Dawson, Gamboa, Chester, Evans, Olsson,
McAuley, Pocognoli, Sandro, Pritchard, Gardner, Yacob, Fletcher, McClean,
McManaman, Sessegnon, Berahino, Lambert, Anichebe, Rondon, Leko, Roberts.

West Ham
West Ham have a fully-fit squad available for the trip to West Brom. Slaven
Bilic's side have had 10 days to shake off any knocks sustained during the
3-1 win over Watford last time out, and the Hammers boss has reported a
clean bill of health. Andy Carroll is set to start up front again after
scoring six goals in his last six games.

Provisional squad: Adrian, Randolph, Cresswell, Byram, Tomkins, Collins,
Reid, Ogbonna, Oxford, Noble, Kouyate, Obiang, Lanzini, Antonio, Moses,
Payet, Valencia, Sakho, Emenike, Carroll.

Seven of the last 10 Barclays Premier League meetings between West Bromwich
Albion and West Ham have ended in a draw. The Irons have lost just two of
their last 11 league away trips to West Brom, winning five and drawing four.
Carroll has scored six goals in his last six competitive appearances for
West Ham United. Over half of Carroll's 23 Premier League goals for the
Hammers have been scored with his head (12 – 52 per cent). Dimitri Payet has
created 102 goalscoring chances for West Ham this season; more than twice as
many as any other West Ham player.
Payet (102) has created 75 more chances for his team-mates than Darren
Fletcher (27), who is West Brom's most creative player this season in the
Premier League. West Ham have seen a league-high nine opposition players
sent off in the Premier League this season. The Baggies have played 21.8 per
cent of their passes long in the Premier League this season; a higher
proportion than any other side. Albion have crafted a league-low 169
goalscoring attempts from open play this season. Of Berahino's 18 Premier
League goals he has scored since the start of last season 14 have come at
the Hawthorns (78 per cent).

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