West Ham United vs. Stoke City: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

Having netted four goals between them so far this season, a meeting of West Ham United and Stoke City this weekend promises to set the two teams apart after lackadaisical starts.

The pair currently sit fifth and 10th, respectively, with a win giving either outfit the chance to further cement their place among the Premier League’s top half.

Last season, these two teams produced just three goals across their two meetings, and the result at Upton Park finished 1-1, with Sam Allardyce and Tony Pulis’ sides sharing the spoils. New Stoke City manager Mark Hughes will look to make a better go of things now that he’s at the helm.

When: Saturday, Aug. 31, KO at 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET

Where: Upton Park, East London

Watch: NBC Sports Network, DirecTV (USA)

Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra (USA)

 

Betting Odds (Courtesy of Bloomberg Sports)

West Ham Win: 43.8 percent

Draw: 28.4 percent

Stoke City Win: 27.8 percent

West Ham United Player to Watch: Joey O’Brien

Last season saw Joey O’Brien further establish himself as one of West Ham’s integral players, doing an admirable job of running things down the side’s left flank.

Yet to miss a tackle this season, the Irishman has been solid at the back, also winning five of his six headed duels and averaging six defensive actions per game.

At 75 percent, O’Brien could do some improvement in his passing, but he has done a good job of stopping what threat come down his side of the pitch so far in the campaign.

Geoff Cameron won’t pose the biggest threat for Stoke offensively, meaning West Ham’s left-back will have license to push up the pitch and contribute with the likes of Matt Jarvis and Stewart Downing.

The most likely opposition to O’Brien doing that will be Jonathan Walters, although the Potters' new arrival, Liverpool loanee Oussama Assaidi, could also feature on the wing.

Stoke City Player to Watch: Jonathan Walters

For much of the last two seasons, Walters has provided the most consistent attacking threat at the Britannia Stadium and will be expected to shoulder a similar responsibility this term.

Either playing off the wing or in behind the striker, Walters maintains a strong influence when the Potters are moving forward with the ball.

Mohamed Diame and Mark Noble are likely to be the pair looking to restrict Walters’ movement, making for an intriguing man-to-man struggle.

Noble has been in fine playmaking form during the season’s opening phases, but he is also a strong anchor in the Hammers midfield. Along with Diame, Noble has averaged a tackling success rate of 90 percent in the last two matches.

Walters will seek to evade that midfield couplet with the aim of providing Peter Crouch with a strong attacking platform, and he is essentially the Potters’ key to breaking down a Hammers defence that’s yet to concede a goal.

Prediction

In truth, this weekend’s East London fixture isn’t going to be a classic, with West Ham’s attack currently looking weak and Stoke City’s equally so.

In the end, the defensive units are going to be what decides the fixture during a game that doesn’t look likely to produce a raft of scoring opportunities.

West Ham 1-1 Stoke City