With just seven matches of the Premier League campaign remaining, West Ham United and Stoke City head into Saturday's fixture having recorded 42 points from their 31 matches to leave them in ninth and 10th place respectively.
Finishing in that position would probably be considered acceptable at the Britannia Stadium, but the Hammers hierarchy may be less forgiving unless Sam Allardyce can take the club into eighth spot before the middle of May.
West Ham United
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It wasn't so long ago that West Ham looked like sustaining a challenge for a top-six position in the Premier League table while also considered as live contenders for the FA Cup, but in the space of nearly three months, Upton Park has transformed into a place of frustration.
Two wins in 11 in the league and a 4-0 thrashing in the FA Cup by West Bromwich Albion have left Sam Allardyce in danger of being removed from his position at the club, and even a positive end to the campaign might not be enough to save the former Bolton Wanderers chief.
Their current position of ninth is respectable, but with the club's owners reportedly looking elsewhere to try to progress to the next level, Allardyce may enhance his chances of a job elsewhere with a strong finish over the next seven games.
Some of West Ham's results and injuries have simply been unfortunate for Allardyce. They were 1-0 ahead of Manchester United before being denied by a 92nd-minute equaliser, while they were prevented from winning at Tottenham Hotspur due to a debatable penalty in the 95th minute.
Combine that with the loss of Andy Carroll to a knee injury and it's made for a testing second half to the campaign. Diafra Sahko has netted only three times since New Year's Day while the defence have shipped 14 in nine games, despite keeping two clean sheets.
West Ham have already achieved two points more than they did during the whole of last season, but unless they can make it to 50 points, the Upton Park dugout could be occupied by a new boss in August.
Recent form: DLLLWL
Stoke City
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The Stoke City hierarchy were that impressed with Mark Hughes's spell at the Britannia Stadium that they tied him down to a new deal at the club, but three successive defeats have threatened to ruin what has been another impressive campaign.
The recent setbacks have only been by the odd goal, but Hughes will be keen to get his team back on track when they make a second visit to London in the space of seven days.
Charlie Adam's 66-yard strike dominated the back pages last Sunday, but aside from that goal, the Potters rarely threatened Chelsea's backline, which continued their recent run of struggling to net on a consistent basis in the Premier League.
Just nine goals have been netted in their last eight fixtures, six of which have come courtesy of Peter Crouch and Mame Biram Diouf, which indicates that they require contributions from other members of the squad if they are to secure a top-half finish.
Stoke have been relatively solid at the back, with just six goals being conceded in as many games, but they need to find another gear if they are to register their highest-ever finish of eighth place in the top flight.
Their run-in could have been worse, but it's games such as the one at Upton Park in which Stoke need to produce a performance or else their season could slip away during the final seven fixtures.
Recent form: WWWLLL
Team News
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West Ham will be able to call upon winger Enner Valencia for the first time since he required several stitches in his foot after stepping onto a broken teacup.
The Ecuadorian could replace Mark Noble, but duo Andy Carroll and James Tomkins remain long-term absentees after undergoing surgery.
Mark Hughes must decide whether to keep faith with striker Mame Biram Diouf or hand a recall to Peter Crouch.
Victor Moses is available again after missing out against his parent club last weekend, while Marc Muniesa could replace Philipp Wollscheid in the centre of defence after recovering from the injury that has kept him out since February 14.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Adrian, Jenkinson, Collins, Reid, Cresswell, Song, Nolan, Kouyate, Downing, Valencia, Sakho
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Begovic, Cameron, Shawcross, Muniesa, Wilson, Whelan, Nzonzi, Adam, Moses, Walters, Diouf
Head To Head
West Ham and Stoke City may have faced each other on 53 occasions, but there is only a slight difference in their head-to-head record, with the Potters registering 22 wins compared to West Ham's 20 triumphs.
As far as their recent record goes, Stoke have only lost once in six meetings, while they have enjoyed a fair amount of success at Upton Park, with two wins and two draws coming from their last five visits.
However, in the reverse fixture in November, West Ham hit back from two goals behind to record a 2-2 draw at the Britannia Stadium thanks to goals from Enner Valencia and Stewart Downing.
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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: West Ham United 1-0 Stoke City
With both sides finding it difficult to record wins in the Premier League recently, this is a tough match to call and it will probably come down to one moment of brilliance or a set piece. Stoke have a respectable record in East London, but we think that the Hammers will just have enough to see off the Staffordshire outfit.
Darren Plant
