West Ham United vs Fulham Predictions

• Fulham have seen BTTS land in 13 of their last 15
• West Ham have failed to score just twice at home this season
• The visitors have won recent London derbies at Crystal Palace and Fulham
• The Hammers have lost five of six home meetings with top-half teams

Potter can’t wave a magic wand

Graham Potter made his West Ham bow on Friday night as his new side were beaten 2-1 at Aston Villa in the FA Cup. The former Brighton and Chelsea boss seems better suited to what West Ham’s board and supporters expected from David Moyes’ successor than Julen Lopetegui, but that doesn’t mean we should expect an immediate turnaround.

The shine has come off the Hammers’ heralded summer transfer business with just six wins from 20 Premier League matches. They’ve steered clear of the drop zone thanks to victories over the league’s strugglers, but West Ham have lost five of six home clashes with teams in the top-half.

Lopetegui’s side looked muddled and slow and Potter’s arrival can’t magically turn that around. Given the sharp turn he experienced from a Brighton side tailor-made for him to Chelsea’s carnival of chaos, Potter’s arrival at the London Stadium may have a bumpy start.

Marco Silva has Fulham soaring

While the wayward Hammers look for a direction, visitors Fulham are enjoying a strong campaign under Marco Silva. The Cottagers are ninth in the table and just four points shy of the top six. There’s little prospect of relegation at Craven Cottage, with a return to Europe a more likely outcome.

Saturday’s 4-1 win over Watford in the FA Cup made it nine games unbeaten for the Cottagers, who have lost only twice on their travels. After a defeat at Old Trafford, they’ve been impressive on the road, with their only other loss coming in a strong performance at Man City.

The visitors have performed well in recent jaunts across the capital, winning at Crystal Palace and Chelsea. They can be confident of another three points, with the hosts losing their last three – shipping 11 goals along the way.

Visitors can edge entertaining clash

Both teams have scored in 13 of Fulham’s last 15 matches, while BTTS has landed in nine of their previous 10 starts. That points to an entertaining clash on Tuesday, but West Ham may struggle to match the visitors scoring with both Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio ruled out.

The Hammers have scored 1.3 goals per game at home while conceding 2.2, so the visitors are a good bet to outscore them. The Hammers have netted in all but two of their home matches, so back Fulham to win and concede.

The in-form Raul Jimenez can inspire the visitors to victory, having netted four times across his last three starts. The Mexican striker scored when these two met earlier this season and he must be relishing the prospect of troubling West Ham’s struggling back line.