You again? Yes, you again! In this season unlike any other, with a mid-season World Cup wreaking havoc on the club competition season scheduling, rapid rematches abound.
Brentford FC beat West Ham United in Premier League competition just two six days ago. Two days from now, they’ll meet again, this time in the FA Cup’s 3rd round.
West Ham United vs Brentford FA Cup 3rd Round FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Jan 7, 5:30pm, GTech Community Stadium
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Stat Pack: This will be the first meeting between these two sides, in this competition, since 1926-27, so almost a full century!
Series Trend: West Ham have lost their past seven FA Cup matches against fellow London sides.
A similar thing has happened with Manchester City and Chelsea- they’ll meet again on Sunday, in the same round of this same competition, after having clashing Thursday night in the league.
West Ham United Team News
For the Hammers, nothing has really changed, from a team fitness standpoint, except for Vladimir Coufal sustaining a knee injury in the 2-2 draw against Leeds United. Look for a 4-3-3 that’s a mix of some starters and a few bench guys. In goals, Lukasz Fabianski has been utterly awful lately.
We’re predicting he takes a seat here in favor of Alphonse Arreola.
Look for a really strong midfield though as Irons boss David Moyes badly needs a result to alleviate some of the pressure on him. He’s done well, historically, in this round, having progressed 9 of the past 11 times in third round FA Cup action.
West Ham United Starting XI Prediction vs Brentford
Arreola; Cresswell, Ogbonna, Aguerd, Emerson; Bowen, Rice, Soucek; Paqueta, Benrahma, Antonio
Prediction: West Ham United 2, Brentford FC 1
Look for Moyes to exact some revenge from last week.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.