It has been a recurring nightmare for the Hammers in their Premier League home debut season, but they will focus on ending the Seagulls’ reign on the same pitch this coming Saturday.
Neither team was able to secure three points in gameweek 16, as Lopetegui’s side were held to a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth while their hosts fell 3-1 at the hands of M23 rivals Crystal Palace.
West Ham and Bournemouth played on a Monday night at the Vitality Stadium and this match was a two dead-ball, while the Irons came within touching distance of a precious win via Lucas Paqueta’s spot-kick, they were thwarted by enigmatic Enes Unal free-kick.
Save for one of the best goals in the English Premier League this season scored by the Cherries’ Turkish striker when he would have rather picked the top corner, the Irons could have savoured their second successive English Premier League victory for the first time this season after beating demotion rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 on the preceding weekend.
Despite this, Lopetegui’s 14 th placed team are seven points away from the pink zone of the Premier League and further seven points away from the relegation prone Ipswitch, although the ceaseless instability of Saturday’s hosts seems to define the year.
However, the only time West Ham managed to replicate a Premier League result this term was when they lost 2-0 to Leicester City and then 2-1 to Arsenal the following game, meaning there will only be one loser at the London Stadium this coming weekend.
The Irons have been gradually working on the restoration of the walls of their fortress, though, earning 10 points in five last PRL meetings at the London Stadium which totals the amount they clinched in 11 previous PRL home clashes.
When fierce rivals Palace visited the Amex last weekend, Brighton, headed by Fabian Hurzeler, failed to win for the fourth consecutive game. West Ham's four-point total from their past two Premier League games still surpasses their opponents' record from their last four top-flight games.
A brilliant Ismaila Sarr cut the Seagulls' wings with two goals of his own and an unconventional assist for Trevoh Chalobah in a brilliant Palace effort that was marred only by a late own goal from Marc Guehi.
Despite having only two points from their last four Premier League games and two victories from their last nine games across all competitions, the ninth-place Seagulls are still very much in the running for a spot in Europe, trailing only Manchester City by three points in fifth place.
Even though Guehi's own goal last weekend was insignificant, it extended the Seagulls' scoring streak to 14 league and EFL Cup games combined. Hurzeler's club has scored and conceded in each of their previous nine games across all competitions, making them always good entertainment value.
In their first seven top-flight trips to the London Stadium, Brighton has also established themselves as West Ham's home bogey team. Five of those games have ended in a draw, but the Hammers have never faced a single Premier League opponent at home more times without winning.
West Ham's suspension situation is one in, one out. Midfielder Carlos Soler must miss this game because of a string of yellow cards, but Emerson Palmieri is back from a one-game suspension he received during the Bournemouth defeat.
The swap might potentially happen from the first whistle as Lopetegui moves Jarrod Bowen back to a wide role to make room for the German center-forward, Niclas Fullkrug, who had already hooked for the Spaniard before the hour mark on Monday night.
Hurzeler is anticipated to be without five players for Saturday's game, including Adam Webster, who has been sidelined for a long time due to a thigh injury. The Brighton coaches currently have a lot more players to tend to than West Ham's.
The latter two will probably demand that the first XI be called up right away, with Veltman replacing Tariq Lamptey and O'Riley maybe replacing Yasin Ayari in the engine room.
