Preview: Hull City v West Ham

By Simon Hayes on October 17, 2008 3:57 PM |

WestHamBOX.gifWEST Ham travel to Hull on Sunday looking to get back to winning ways.


After the international break the Hammers are back in Premier League action and face a tricky trip to face the high-flyers from Humberside, who lie third in the table in their first ever season in the top-flight.

The Irons, still 6th in the league, will be desperate to make amends for a poor performance in their 3-1 home defeat against Bolton two weeks ago.

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola had some good news this week, after plenty of off-field problems, with the return of some of his first team squad to fitness.

A sore knee saw goalkeeper Robert Green withdraw from the England squad before it travelled to Belarus but he is expected to be fit for Sunday.

Matthew Upson is fit after playing against Kazakhstan and Belarus and should resume his position at centre-back.

He could be partnered by James Collins who came through a full 90 minutes for Wales against Germany on Wednesday.

In midfield Mark Noble will come up against the club where he spent three months on loan in 2006, while Hayden Mullins will hope to make his 200th appearance for the Hammers.

Lee Bowyer is included in the squad having recovered from a groin problem.

Up front Zola suddenly has plenty of options despite the long-term absence of Dean Ashton.

Craig Bellamy came through Wales' World Cup qualifiers unscathed and may start against the Tigers.

He is joined in the squad by Carlton Cole, who will be looking to extend his scoring form, Freddie Sears and David Di Michele. But new recruit Diego Tristan will miss out as he is not fully fit.

It's the Irons' first game against Hull since March 1991 and their first visit to the Tigers' KC Stadium.

Hammers fans planning to make the trip north by train should be aware of planned engineering works on the route.

This means there will be no services into or out of Hull's Paragon station. Passengers will have to use a replacement bus service from Selby with an expected journey time of around one hour.

Fans are advised to allow extra time for their journeys.

West Ham (from): Green, Faubert, Neill, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami, Parker, Noble, Di Michele, Bellamy, Etherington, Sears, Cole, Lastuvka, Lopez, Boa Morte, Mullins, Davenport, Bowyer, Collins.

Date: Sunday, October 20

Kick-off: 3pm.

Venue: KC Stadium

Referee: Chris Foy

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