West Ham United host Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday aiming to continue their recent dominance over the London rivals.
The Hammers are unbeaten in their last six top flight meetings against Palace and they are fancied to extend that run this weekend.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side returned to form with a bang at Newcastle United last Saturday, with goals by Javier Hernandez (2) and Felipe Anderson securing an impressive 3-0 victory.
A bonding session between four key players ahead of the game appeared to make a big difference, helping inject new life into the squad after the heavy defeat against Manchester City.
Marko Arnautovic, Javier Hernandez, Robert Snodgrass and Mark Noble joined Steve Davis and John Parrott as they took part Betway’s Crazy Snooker challenge and the session clearly worked the oracle against the Magpies.
The West Ham boss will hope the positive mood continues against Palace and onto a favourable looking fixture list over the next few weeks.
Pellegrini’s side head to Fulham the following Saturday, before returning to the London Stadium to face Watford on December 22. Away days at Southampton and Burnley over the festive period offer further opportunities to pick up three points and West Ham could easily end the year in the top half of the table.
A home game against Brighton & Hove Albion on January 3 is another winnable fixture and it is imperative that the Hammers take full advantage over the next few weeks.
Last weekend’s victory at Newcastle put West Ham within touching distance of the top half of the table and a 12 -14 point return from their next few matches should not be beyond them.