At 3:30 a.m. Beijing time on February 2, 2024, and 19:30 p.m. local time on February 1, a key battle in the 22nd round of the English Premier League is about to start, and West Ham United will sit at Upton Park to meet Bournemouth's challenge.
West Ham United and Bournemouth have met 13 times in Premier League history, with West Ham United holding a slight advantage with a record of 5 wins, 4 draws and 4 defeats.
However, the two teams have met in the past 6 times in all competitions, and West Ham United has a clear advantage with a record of 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss. The first leg of this season's meeting between the two teams ended in a 1-1 draw; Bournemouth's last win over West Ham United was back on 5 September 2020 when the Cherries beat West Ham United 5-3 in a friendly.
Interestingly, the two teams often meet by big scores, and perhaps it will be easier for the Hammers to hammer the Cherries than some of the hardcore players.
The recent situation of the two teams, West Ham United under the leadership of coach Moyes, has been performing well in recent years, has been firmly in the middle and upper reaches of the Premier League, and in the 2020-2021 season, it also broke into the Europa League next season as the 6th place in the Premier League, West Ham United has achieved 10 wins, 5 draws, 6 losses and 35 points in 21 rounds of Premier League games this season, temporarily ranking 6th in the Premier League standings.
Bournemouth, on the other hand, under the leadership of head coach Anthony Ilora, has a so-so record, with 7 wins, 4 draws, 9 losses and 25 points in 21 rounds, temporarily ranking 13th in the Premier League standings, currently 7 points ahead of the Premier League relegation zone, and if there are no major problems in the second half of the season, basically relegation is worry-free.
The highlight of this campaign, from the perspective of strength, West Ham United has the advantage of being at home, and Bournemouth's past record (mainly in recent years), it also has a certain psychological advantage, and there is a great hope of winning. The only concern is that West Ham United's recent squad may be a little untidy, which is a concern.
Bournemouth only returned to the Premier League last season, and it is also one of several well-known lifts in the Premier League, and in the second half of the Premier League, every point that can be fought for is crucial for the middle and lower teams of the Premier League, and I believe that the Cherries will do their best.
Of course, neither team is a traditional powerhouse, and there shouldn't be too many fans, the reason why we pay attention to West Ham United, I believe everyone is going to Moyes, the "eternal injustice", and expect the coach to bring us a wonderful game.