West Ham are getting lighter and lighter in the forward department, with Niklas Fullkrug joining both Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio on the treatment table, whicg may well help Fulham come out on top in this match.

The Hammers will need time to adjust to the playing style of Graham Potter anyway, and without as much of a threat going the other way, Fulham can get their full-backs higher up the pitch to cause damage. Fulham have only lost 1 of their last 13 and have been defeated in just 2 away games all season, they can certainly avoid defeat here.

Raul Jimenez averages 1.5o shots on target per 90 this season and the eye test will tell you that he is closing in on being back to his very best – and that makes him a real threat here.

West Ham haven’t defended well all season and even against Villa in the cup on Friday night we saw them struggle against movement in the box. Jimenez brings plenty of that to the party, and he can bring a shot on target to proceedings too.

Lucas Paqueta might have to play an even more advanced role for West Ham here, either in terms of a false 9 position or playing in the 10 role behind someone like Danny Ings, and that makes him a danger for a shot on target.

He scored against Villa on Friday night and could have had another, and being on penalties and dangerous set plays, he should get plenty of openings to hit the target. His numbers aren’t as high as usual this season but that is largely because he hasn’t been as high up the pitch. He will likely be more advanced here and can hit the target at a nice price.

It remains to be seen who Graham Potter will go with as his number one, with this being his first Premier League game in charge. Whoever it is could be a busy man because Fulham average 4.90 shots on target per match and are up against a weak Hammers defence.

Fulham are very good at being clinical with their big chances, so they usually hit the target, and with Marco Silva likely to operate with an attacking intent here it would be a surprise were the Hammers keeper, whoever it is, not to be needed to make at least 3 saves.

West Ham could well be a work in progress under Graham Potter and a vibrant and lively Fulham side might not be the ideal start for the former Chelsea boss. Only Man United and Man City have beaten Fulham on their travels this season and there is a case to be made that the Cottagers were the better team in both of those matches.

West Ham have lost half of their 10 home matches this season and are conceding 2.2 goals per game in the process. That might improve in time under Potter, but Fulham could be getting the Hammers at exactly the right time, particularly with West Ham piling up the injuries in attacking areas.

Raul Jimenez is the shining light for Fulham this season and he can be taken to score or assist. He has 8 goals to his name this term which isn’t too shabby. He has a couple of assists as well and he should be threatening against a West Ham defence which has been exposed by clever movement throughout the season.

The Mexican takes penalties, as we saw when he converted 2 of them against Ipswich last weekend, and will spend his time in and around the box, so a goal contribution is well within his range.

As highlighted above, West Ham have a few attacking injuries to deal with here, so Lucas Paqueta is naturally going to have a much stronger role in the attacking play for West Ham. He has plenty of quality and a footballing brain to get into positions to either create something for himself or to be on the end of a counterattack move.

The Brazilian is on penalties which might be significant with Fulham conceding one against Ipswich last week, and looks the best bet for a shot on target from the home side. Evens represents strong value.

Mohammed Kudus averages 1.2 fouls per 90 minutes for West Ham in the Premier League this season, but if he plays off the right side which he is expected to, then he will need to track Antonee Robinson, which could bring about a more natural extension to that average here.

We have seen at times this season that the Ghanaian is so competitive that he can lose his head, and if Fulham are dominating the match like they have the ability to do, then it wouldn’t be a surprise if he does something daft. Fulham ask their centre-halves to carry the ball out too so there is plenty of potential for Kudus to be pulled up twice.