West Ham vs Cardiff City: How to Watch, Kick Off Time, Recent Form, Team News & More

West Ham United are set to do battle with Cardiff City at the London Stadium, as a busy festive schedule in the Premier League gets underway on Tuesday.

The pair each bounced back from respective defeats against Manchester City and Everton last week to record vital wins ahead of a month that will demand five league games from them, on top of this one.

West Ham enjoyed a 3-0 victory at Newcastle United courtesy of a brace by Javier Hernandez and a third strike by Felipe Anderson, while Cardiff gave manager Neil Warnock a much welcomed gift ahead of his 70th birthday, winning 2-1 over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of the Hammers' meeting with the Bluebirds.

How to Watch

When Is Kick Off?	Tuesday 4 December
What Time Is Kick Off?	19:45 (BST)
Where Is It Played?	London Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream	Sky Sports Football/Gillette Soccer Special
Referee?	Graham Scott

Team News

Andy Carroll could make his first West Ham appearance of the season after the striker recovered from an ankle injury to be part of Manuel Pellegrini's matchday squad at Newcastle.

He could be joined by Jack Wilshere, who also returned from injury to make a cameo appearance at St. James' Park. Meanwhile Ryan Fredericks, Winston Reid, Carlos Sanchez, Manuel Lanzini and Andriy Yarmolenko all remain sidelined with long-term injuries.

Cardiff have no new injury concerns ahead of the match and Warnock is likely to field a similar side to the one that defeated Wolves at home on Friday.

Predicted Lineups

West Ham United	Fabianski; Zabaleta, Balbuena, Diop, Cresswell; Snodgrass, Noble, Rice, Anderson; Hernandez, Arnautovic
Cardiff City	Etheridge; Ecuele Manga, Morrison, Bamba; Camarasa, Ralls, Gunnarsson, Arter, Murphy; Ward, Hoilett

Head-to-Head Record

There have been 58 clashes between West Ham and Cardiff, with the two sides' history in this fixture stretching back to 1914, when the pair played in the Southern League First Division - in fact, the upcoming match is only their third in the Premier League.

The Hammers boast 31 wins and the Bluebirds 11, while there have been 16 draws between the London and Welsh clubs.

The last time they met was in the 2013/14 campaign, when West Ham completed the double over their opponents by recording two 2-0 wins throughout the season over an eventually relegated Cardiff team.

Recent Form

West Ham's ambitions in the top flight never fall below midtable, so it does come as a disappointment to their fans that Pellegrini's men have spent a majority of their time this season below 10th - they currently sit 13th with just four wins all season.

Cardiff, on the other hand, will count the fact they have managed to stay above the relegation zone as a positive to their campaign.

Warnock's side have managed three wins and two draws in the Premier League so far, but they must not get complacent as they sit just two points above the relegation zone. A win at the London Stadium could increase that gap if results elsewhere go their way.

Here's a look at how the two sides performed in their last five games.

West Ham United	Cardiff City
Newcastle United 0-3 West Ham United (1/12)	Cardiff City 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (30/11)
West Ham United 0-4 Manchester City (24/11)	Everton 1-0 Cardiff City (24/11)
Huddersfield Town 1-1 West Ham United (10/11)	Cardiff City 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion (10/11)
West Ham United 4-2 Burnley (3/11)	Cardiff City 0-1 Leicester City (3/11)
West Ham United 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur (31/10)	Liverpool 4-1 Cardiff City (27/10)

Prediction

It is games like these that West Ham need to make count if their campaign is to head in a positive direction. Cardiff are by no means going to be an easy opponent but their season has so far proven that they are beatable, as all their wins have come at the Cardiff City stadium.

With three goals in his last four games, Hernandez will again be a key player for Pellegrini, who should start the Mexican in the hope he can provide more match-winning goals.

Prediction: West Ham United 2-0 Cardiff City

Source : 90min