West Ham team news: Veltman in, van Hecke out

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Charlie Hanson

2025-04-25T09:05+01:00

Jan Paul van Hecke will miss Saturday's game against West Ham. 📷 by James Boardman.

Albion will look to secure a win that could move them up to eighth in the Premier League when they take on West Ham on Saturday, kick-off 3pm.

Team news

Joel Veltman is available to face West Ham this weekend. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

Fabian Hurzeler confirmed that Jan Paul van Hecke will miss Saturday's game due to concussion, although Joel Veltman is fit enough to be named in the squad for the first time since February.

There was also good news on Kaoru Mitoma, who scored as a substitute against Brentford, with the Japan international confirmed as fit enough to start against the Irons.

Joao Pedro will miss Saturday's game through suspension.

Fabian's thoughts

On his focus this week, "Staying positive, that's the main thing. The lads are training hard. They are trying to give their best. I think the main thing is to encourage them to do the things to push them, to give them the support because they really want to do it in some moments. We all know that. Sometimes it's unlucky. Sometimes you are one step too late. Sometimes you are not in a personal duel the way you want to be in a personal duel.

"So there are many things that are not going in our direction at the moment, but if you're going through a depressive phase, or if you're staying not positive, then I'm pretty sure that it doesn't help the young players.

"Everyone has an impact on this group. That's not only me, that's the fans, that's the staff members. They need to encourage them because they're trying hard to give their best on the pitch and beside the pitch. That's what I see daily. That's what I really can promise to everyone outside that this group has a special character and this group tries to give everything to get the turnaround."

Match facts

Brighton have only lost one of their 15 Premier League meetings with West Ham (W6 D8), though it was a 3-1 defeat in this exact fixture last season.

West Ham have taken five points from their last nine available against Brighton in the Premier League (W1 D2), just one fewer than they had in their first 12 such meetings (W0 D6 L6).

Brighton have lost three of their last four Premier League games (D1), more than their previous 13 beforehand (W6 D5 L2). The Seagulls have shipped 2+ goals in each of their last five league games, their longest run since March 2022 (6 in a row).

West Ham are winless in their last six Premier League games (D3 L3), last going longer without a win in the competition in January 2023 (7).

All four of West Ham’s away wins in the Premier League this season have been to nil – the Hammers haven’t won any of their last 15 on the road when conceding at least once (D5 L10).

West Ham have benefitted from three own goals in the Premier League this season. It’s their most in a campaign since 2013-14 (also 3), while they’ve only benefitted from more in 2005-06 (4).

West Ham have the oldest average starting XI in the Premier League this season (28y 214d), while only Chelsea (24y 20d) have a younger average age than Brighton (25y 117d).

Brighton’s Danny Welbeck is looking to score 10 goals in a Premier League season for the first time (currently 9) – as it stands, he’s the highest scorer in the competition never to reach double figures in a single campaign (76 goals). He’s scored more goals against West Ham than any other opponent in the top-flight (6).

Niclas Füllkrug has either scored (1) or assisted (2) a goal in each of his last three Premier League starts for West Ham. Overall, he’s averaging a goal or assist every 108 minutes this term, the second best rate for a West Ham player in a single campaign (min. 500 minutes) after Paolo Di Canio in 1999-00 (one every 90 minutes).

West Ham boss Graham Potter’s only previous Premier League meeting with his former side Brighton ended in a 4-1 defeat with Chelsea in October 2022. No manager has lost by 3+ goals in their first two meetings with a specific former employer in the competition before.

Match officials