This, then, is a game West Ham will feel they have to win. And, in recent times, they often have won when playing The Baggies.

West Ham United have a good recent record against West Brom

The Hammers have emerged victorious in each of their last three league meetings against West Brom, the latest coming in 2021 when Tomas Soucek, Angelo Ogbonna and Michail Antonio secured a 3-1 triumph away to Sam Allardyce’s already-relegated side.

Furthermore, if West Ham pick up all three points tomorrow, this will be the first time since 1947 that they have won four successive league matches against West Bromwich Albion.

It has been ten years since they suffered a league defeat against Saturday’s opponents. Nacer Chadli, Solomon Rondon, James McClean, Manuel Lanzini and the aforementioned Antonio were all on the scoresheet that day, a 4-2 loss at the Hawthorns in 2016.

This is also a fixture that usually guarantees goals. The two teams have gone head-to-head 26 times in all competitions since the turn of the century. Seventy-four goals have been scored in those 26 matches, an average of 2.8 a game.

Time will tell if that record continues. West Ham were uncharacteristically wasteful against Southampton, scoring only twice from 29 attempts on goal. There are also concerns over Jarrod Bowen’s fitness, while the league’s top-scoring defender Konstantinos Mavropanos is definitely out.