Premier League preview: Fulham v West Ham United

Fulham and West Ham United will look to return to winning ways when they meet at Craven Cottage in the English Premier League on Wednesday.

Fulham have slumped to 14th on the table with only one win in seven league games, including a 2-0 loss to champions Manchester City last time out.

West Ham are just two points above Fulham in 12th place and visit their London rivals having won only one of their past 10 matches in all competitions.

Sam Allardyce’s men were routed 5-0 by Arsenal in their last outing, prompting the West Ham manager to add to his squad in the January transfer period.

Allardyce signed forward Wellington Paulista on loan from Brazilian club Cruzeiro before also loaning defender another Emanuel Pogatetz from German side Wolfsburg.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to play for the club and help it get good results,” Pogatetz told the West Ham website.

“I will be doing my best to play well and hope I can play a part in the club achieving the targets for this season.”

Paulista and Pogatetz could feature against Fulham, with Andy Carroll (knee), Winston Reid (groin) and James Collins (hamstring) yet to return from injuries.

Fulham have signed Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong on loan, though the Ghanaian is more likely to come off the bench for his first appearance.

Kieran Richardson (calf) remains in doubt for Fulham, who have already ruled out Simon Davies (hip), Mahamadou Diarra (knee) and Kerim Frei (groin).

Fulham manager Martin Jol believes his side need at least four wins, starting against West Ham, to stay clear of the relegation zone.

“If you leave it up until the end of the season, you could probably end up with a problem,” he said.

“If we win those games as soon as possible, it could be easier. I think you will need 36 or 37 points to be safe and at present, there are probably eight teams who are fairly concerned.”