**West Ham return to the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon as they take on Bournemouth. The Hammers are riding on a high after their recent form has breathed life into their survival hopes.**
The FA Cup win against Burton Albion last time out means Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have lost just one of their last seven matches in all competitions. Crucially, three wins and a draw from their last five Premier League fixtures has brought a sense of hope and optimism back to East London, something that felt a distant memory among the Hammers faithful just weeks ago.
Opponents Bournemouth come into this weekend’s clash off the back of a strong run of form of their own. The Cherries are unbeaten in their last six top flight matches. Three wins and a draw from their last four have seen them break into the top ten.
Centre back Jean Clair Todibo is back available for selection this weekend after serving his suspension. The only first team players currently unavailable are Freddie Potts, following his sending off against Burton and January signing Pablo after his recent injury.
It will certainly be interesting to see how West Ham line up at the back. Todibo has been one of the Hammers’ most improved performers, alongside the likes of Crycensio Summerville who remains in electric form, since the arrival of the Portuguese head coach. However, with Mavropanos in good form and Axel Disasi having slotted seamlessly into the West Ham backline, Nuno will have a tough decision on his hands.
When the two sides met back in November, a first half brace from Callum Wilson had the Hammers cruising towards what looked like a third win on the spin. Frustratingly, having opted to sit back and soak up pressure from early in the second half, Bournemouth fought back to claim a point. The South Coast side could have ultimately won the game if it weren’t for a man of the match performance from Alphonse Areola.
The Hammers will be hoping for a different script come Saturday. With momentum building at a crucial stage of the campaign, West Ham find themselves three points behind Nottingham Forest and five behind Spurs who are sat in 16th.
Confidence will have been growing by the week in the West Ham camp recently. The Hammers squad have shown in recent weeks that they are not going down without a fight. Three points on Saturday would send out a real statement to the teams in and around West Ham and give supporters even more belief that Premier League survival may truly be possible.