West Ham United host the team two places and one point below them in the Championship table tomorrow, when James Morrison brings his high-flying West Bromwich Albion outfit to the London Stadium.

It’s been quite the turnaround for Saturday’s opponents. West Brom spent much of last season fearing relegation. In fact, The Baggies ended up just one place above the drop zone.

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Tomas Soucek of West Ham United celebrates with teammates after scoring the team's fifth goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Lincoln City and West Ham United at the Gelder Group Sincil Bank Stadium in Lincoln, on October 14, 2026.

What’s more, West Ham United’s two league defeats this term have both come at home; Charlton in August and Southampton six days ago. At the same time, only three sides – the current top three of West Ham, Swansea and Middlesbrough – have picked up more points on the road than West Brom’s ten.

Morrison will make the trip down to London in confidence, then, albeit with plenty of respect for a talented opposition squad.

James Morrison’s West Brom hope to stun West Ham United at the London Stadium

“I think it’s probably one of the hardest fixtures in the league, going to West Ham,” the former Middlesbrough and Scotland midfielder said during his press conference. “They’ve got a very good squad and they’ve demonstrated how strong they can be this season.”

Morrison expects West Ham to come roaring back from last week’s defeat at the London Stadium. He also offered a peek behind the curtain and an insight into his tactical approach.

The Darlington-born 40-year-old knows his side will have to defend well up against the league’s top scorers, while also posing a threat in transition and using the wide areas to their full potential.

“The individual players they’ve got and the situation of their sticky patch at home mean there will be a reaction on Saturday, so we’re going to have to be at our best to compete,” Morrison adds.

“We have to be compact, we have to have energy, defend the box, be good in wide areas, and have spells where we’re good with the ball and attack them, so we’re not defending for 90 minutes.

“My experiences of playing there are of how passionate the crowd can be, so we have to play on that, whether it’s quieting the crowd or using it as motivation, but I’m expecting a really tough game and we can’t afford to have two or three people not playing at their best.”

Divine Mukasa and Arne Engels could be in for another big test

Isaac Price, elegant and capable of the spectacular, is likely to start on the left. He’s scored four goals this season. Young Harry Whitwell is expected to start on the right.

He and Price will look to make life difficult for West Ham’s full-backs, while the speed of Jimmy-Jay Morgan could also give the Baggies an outlet. Morrison wants his team to push out quickly when they have the ball and catch West Ham on the break.

Southampton certainly had few problems cutting through Nuno’s side at will. The Divine Mukasa/Arne Engels partnership looks vulnerable to through-balls and runners, meaning box-to-box midfield terrier Jayson Molumby should have a big role to play. Mukasa and Engels made only one tackle and one interception apiece against The Saints.

Time and again, they were out of position as Tonda Eckert’s side burst through the centre of the pitch. Molumby could exploit this weakness, while Price likes to drift infield and take shots at goal from distance. It will be up to West Ham’s central pairing to stop that from happening frequently. Lewis Orford is an option to come in, while Nuno could also start Tomas Soucek for extra muscle.

Orford, interestingly, is West Ham’s best out-of-possession midfielder statistically. He averages the most interceptions per game of any Hammers player.

Edson Alvarez and Soungoutou Magassa remain frozen out, despite being the most natural defensively-minded midfielders in the squad.

Kyle Walker-Peters and Morato are usually Nuno’s two full-backs, meanwhile. That could change tomorrow due to an injury suffered by Konstantinos Mavropanos. Morato may be required in the centre, opening up the door for Ollie Scarles to start. If Max Kilman and Morato are together at centre-back, the brawny Heggebo will provide a tough task. He is one of the strongest centre-forwards in the league physically, albeit a tally of four goals in eleven games is hardly prolific.

Morgan, meanwhile, is extremely quick and loves to run the channels. Do Kilman and Morato have the mobility to stop him? Time will tell.

Scarles would therefore go head-to-head with the tricky Whitwell, while attack-minded right-back Nolan Galves is one to watch.