West Ham are without striker Andy Carroll, who sits out for the second game of his three-match ban. However, Joe Cole and Mohamed Diame are available again after the duo missed Saturday's victory over Aston Villa due to injury. Robert Snodgrass faces a late fitness test after the Norwich midfielder missed the draw with Manchester City due to a groin injury. Gary Hooper has recovered from a knock he suffered in that game but Jonas Gutierrez is out.
Key Stats
Both clubs have an identical record this season but Norwich haven't won at Upton Park since 1987, winning just four of their 24 visits to the stadium. However, the Canaries have lost just one of the last nine league meetings against the Hammers. West Ham are on a great run of form after winning back-to-back league matches for the first time since April 2012. They've also kept three consecutive clean sheets since March 2009. Central to this run of form is Kevin Nolan, who has scored four goals in his last two games- including the two decisive goals against Aston Villa on Saturday. Norwich have won just one of their last ten games but they've drawn five of those games. The Canaries have kept nine league clean sheets this term but only Crystal Palace have scored less than the clubs tally of 19 goals.
Likely Line-Ups
West Ham United Adrian, Demel, Tomkins, Collins, McCartney, Nolan, Noble, Taylor, Jarvis, Downing, C Cole Norwich City Ruddy, Martin, Yobo, Bassong, Olsson, Redmond, Tettey, Johnson, Pilkington, Fer, Hooper
Match Preview
This game is a vital battle in the fight to avoid relegation, with both sides currently displaying the same record this season and sitting two points above the relegation zone. Back-to-back wins for the Hammers have seen the club rise out of the relegation zone, while their last defeat came in mid January against Newcastle. Three consecutive clean sheets are a rarity for West Ham and they could extend that run this evening against the Canaries, who struggle to find the net. Norwich have scored just two goals in their last six games and haven't scored in consecutive league matches this year. The side managed to keep Manchester City's blustering attack at bay at the weekend, coming away with a point. It's vital that they pick up something from this match but a victory may be a step too far. Prediction 1-0 source - bbc football
Josh has had work featured in the Evening Gazette and on Newcastle United website. He is a Multimedia Journalism student at Teesside University and runs a successful sports blog. He also enjoys films, comics and TV, writing about anything he can. Josh has recently started writing his first of what he hopes will be many books.
