Alan Shearer announced that West Ham United on Saturday [14. September] drew with Fulham in the Premier League.
Julen Lopetegui will take his side to Craven Cottage, looking to start their season after two defeats in their first three games.
The Hammers fell victim to an Erling Haaland hat-trick in a 3-1 defeat at Manchester City before the international break, but face a favorable game against Fulham, who failed to beat recently promoted Ipswich Town.
“Another London derby for these cottage sides and I mentioned earlier that I think these derbies are hard to call,” Shearer announced to The Metro [13. September].
“West Ham have had a difficult start to the season so it will remain to be seen what they can do. There probably won’t be much between them so I will choose a different draw.”
West Ham United face a tough test against Fulham
Neither Lopetegui nor West Ham could do much against Man City, especially with Haaland in rich form. The team performed well, but three points from three games makes for uncomfortable reading given the flurry of new signings in east London this summer.
Tim Steidten has produced a masterclass in the transfer window, with newcomers arriving to strengthen all areas of the pitch ahead of their ambitions to finish in the European cities this season.
But amid a flurry of new signings, Lopetegui has just three senior centre-backs at his disposal, with the club set to abandon the free transfer market and focus on developing within its academy.
On paper, the Irons have a stronger squad than their west London counterparts and should have the quality to get the job done. However, Craven Cottage are a tough side to travel to and the side will have a lot of work to do this weekend.
Despite their poor start to the campaign, the fixture schedule has not been in the Hammers’ favour, with their only two defeats coming against Champions League opponents Aston Villa and Man City, although both defeats were at the London Stadium.
Lopetegui needs three points against mid-table Fulham to realize his side’s European ambitions. Losing more valuable points even at this early stage of the season could be detrimental to West Ham’s success this year.