V
Barnsley
Npower Championship
Venue: Upton Park Date:
Saturday 17 December Kick-off: 1500 GMT
Coverage: Watch highlights on The Football League Show;
listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website
TEAM NEWS
West Ham are missing several key players, including Jack Collison and Joey O'Brien, who were sent off at Reading last weekend and are suspended.
Guy Demel is out with a thigh injury and Matt Taylor (calf) is also a doubt.
Barnsley defender Jay McEveley, missing for the past two games with a thigh strain, may not be back this time.
Defenders Rob Edwards and Miles Addison are in contention for a return and Newcastle's on-loan striker Nile Ranger may find himself on the bench.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• This is the 54th competitive meeting. West Ham have won 30 of the previous 53, Barnsley nine, with 14 drawn.
• West Ham have twice knocked Barnsley out of the FA Cup, since they last locked horns in the league, and won 6-0 in the top-flight at Upton Park in January 1998. They need four goals to take their total in league and cup against the Tykes to 100.
• Barnsley have picked up one point out of the last 15 available against the Hammers. Their only away league win over them was 2-0 in the very first visit in September 1919, also in the second tier.
West Ham United
• West Ham have followed a seven-match unbeaten sequence, and four successive wins with back-to-back defeats, for the first time this season.
• Sam Allardyce's team is nevertheless still second, three points off the pace, with twice as many points than they had at this same stage last season.
• The Hammers have won the league fixture immediately preceding Christmas once in 12 years; that victory being away to Middlesbrough in the Premier League in 2007.
Barnsley
• Ipswich brought an end to Barnsley's four-match winning run with last Saturday's dramatic 5-3 win at the Oakwell.
• The Tykes are now searching for a third successive away league win and a fourth of this Championship campaign, which would take them past the total they achieved on the road last term.
• Keith Hill's side have opened the scoring in 13 of their 21 league games. Only Cardiff have taken the initial lead more often in Championship games this season (16 times).
Last edited by Admin on Sat 17 Dec 2011, 1:24 pm; edited 7 times in total