West Ham United FC

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• Manager:Avram Grant

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Preview: West Ham v Hull City

18 Feb 2010 - 15:09:44

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West Ham United have endured a difficult time this season, both on and off the pitch. However, with new owners David Sullivan and David Gold now bedded in at Upton Park, the Hammers will be looking to move further away from the drop-zone.

Gianfranco Zola's side ended a five-game winless run with a vital victory over Birmingham City last week and will now be hoping to build on that success against fellow strugglers Hull City.

The Tigers, like their opponents this weekend, have endured a difficult time both on and off the pitch, and have now managed just one win in their last 12 Premier League games.

Central to this poor form has been their failure to perform away from home. Indeed, Phil Brown's side have failed to pick up a victory in any of their last 18 league games on the road.

The Tigers have failed to score in five of their last six away games in the top-flight, but their chances of finding the net could be improved with the possible return of creative spark Jimmy Bullard.

Bullard, who coincidently first endured his long-term injuries problems on his debut for Hull at Upton Park last season, is close to a first-team return, and Brown has refused to rule out the possibility of him making a comeback on Saturday.

"It's still the very early stages of Jimmy's comeback," he said. "He's been out on the training ground with the first team and been floating around in training situations. He's feeling his way back in at the minute and the players, more than anyone, are aware of what he's capable of."

West Ham have no fresh injury concerns and could welcome new signing Benni McCarthy back into the side.

Both sets of supporters will be hoping for a similar level of entertainment shown in their Premier League meeting earlier this season.

Their 3-3 draw at the KC Stadium in November also saw Bernard Mendy receive a red card when the Tigers were 3-2 ahead, and West Ham took advantage, equalising through Manual Da Costa with 20 minutes left.