Burnley have only won one of their opening 14 matches of the 2021-22 Premier League season, while a total of 10 points has left them in 18th position in the table, level on points with both 19th-placed Newcastle and 20th-placed Norwich City.
The Clarets are playing in their sixth straight season at this level of football, and although they finished 17th last term, there were 11 points separating them from the bottom three.
It does appear that Sean Dyche’s side will be involved in a relegation battle during the 2021-22 campaign, and last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Newcastle was certainly a blow, with Callum Wilson’s first-half effort proving to be the difference between the two sides at St James’ Park.
Burnley have actually only lost one of their last six league games but have been unable to convert draws into wins, sharing the points on seven occasions, which has prevented them from moving away from trouble.
The Clarets, who are at home to Watford on Wednesday night, lost both Premier League matches against West Ham last season, including a 2-1 defeat at home to the Hammers back in May.
West Ham will enter Sunday’s clash off the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League on Thursday night, but head coach David Moyes made a number of changes to his usual starting XI, with the club already booking their spot in the next round as Group H winners.
The Hammers were victorious in the league last weekend, recording a 3-2 win over Chelsea at the London Stadium, with Arthur Masuaku coming up with an 87th-minute winner for the hosts.
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A record of eight wins, three draws and four defeats from 15 matches has brought West Ham 27 points this season, which has left them in fourth spot in the table, two points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
There is simply no downplaying the importance of this match to the Hammers, as the likes of Tottenham, Manchester United, Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers will all have their eyes on fourth position.
The London club have lost their last two league matches on their travels, though, suffering defeats at both Wolves and Manchester City, while they had been on a three-game losing streak against Burnley in the Premier League before triumphing in both meetings during the 2020-21 campaign.Burnley Pr
