West Ham United will welcome Lille to the London Stadium on Saturday in both team's final pre-season clash before the onset of their respective 2025-26 campaigns.
The Hammers will meet Sunderland next Saturday in their first game of the new Premier League season, while Lille take on Brest on August 17 in their opening Ligue 1 fixture.
Match preview
West Ham United's 2024-25 season will not be fondly remembered given the risk of relegation loomed over them for much of the campaign, and results were so poor that Julen Lopetegui was dismissed from his role as boss in January.
Former Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea manager Graham Potter was appointed as Lopetegui's successor, but the Englishman only won five of his 19 games in charge, losing nine times while guiding the club to a 14th-placed finish in the Premier League.
The Londoners scored one or fewer goals 13 times under Potter and perhaps more concerningly conceded two or more goals on eight occasions.
West Ham have enjoyed a more fruitful pre-season, with the team winning three of their four friendly clashes, and two of those triumphs came against Premier League opponents Everton and Bournemouth.
The Hammers' record at the London Stadium has considerable room for improvement given they failed to achieve victories in their last five home fixtures of 2024-25, succumbing to losses twice.
Lille manager Bruno Genesio pictured on August 27, 2024
Meanwhile, Lille managed to qualify for the Europa League after finishing fifth in Ligue 1 with 60 points, though their placement was one position worse than in 2023-24 despite collecting an additional point.
Head coach Bruno Genesio's side were outstanding at the back, with their tally of 36 league goals allowed making them the second-best defensive team last season, and champions Paris Saint-Germain only conceded one goal fewer.
However, Les Dogues were the worst offensive club in the top seven having netted on 52 occasions, exactly the same number of goals they produced in 2023-24.
Genesio has overseen a mixed pre-season in terms of results considering his team have won three and lost two of their five friendly outings, finding the back of the net 13 times while conceding six.
Lille were prone to defeat away from home at the back end of last season, losing four and drawing one of their final seven matches on the road.
West Ham United friendly form:
Lille friendly form:
Team News
West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen celebrates scoring on April 19, 2025
Potter has shown a preference to utilise a back three, and he could select central defenders Jean-Clair Todibo, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Max Kilman on Saturday.
Midfielder Edson Alvarez may be partnered in a double pivot by Guido Rodriguez, though James Ward-Prowse is likely to come into consideration.
Prolific forward Jarrod Bowen will be an automatic pick for Potter next term, and he will be asked to support striker Niclas Fullkrug.
The visitors lost centre-forward Jonathan David for free this summer, but they have brought in veteran Olivier Giroud.
Lille midfielders Benjamin Andre and Ngal'ayel Mukau may start in front of centre-backs Aissa Mandi and Nathan Ngoy.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Areola; Todibo, Mavropanos, Kilman; Wan-Bissaka, Alvarez, Rodriguez, Diouf; Bowen, Paqueta; Fullkrug
Lille possible starting lineup:
Chevalier; Meunier, Mandi, Ngoy, Cossier; Andre, Mukau; Broholm, Haraldsson, Correia; Giroud
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We say: West Ham United 1-1 Lille
West Ham could find it difficult to create many chances on the weekend considering Lille boast a strong defensive record.
However, the Hammers are also unlikely to be busy at the back given Lille are still adapting to life without David, and they could hold their French opponents to a stalemate.
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