Brentford bring the curtain down on 2022 with a trip across the capital to face West Ham United at London Stadium.

Last season’s trip to E20 was one of the most memorable of the Bees' debut Premier League campaign, with Yoane Wissa’s last-gasp goal securing a 2-1 victory.

A repeat this time around would send us into 2023 inside the top 10 of the top flight, while a win for the home side would give them breathing space in the lower reaches of the table.

THE OPPOSITION

West Ham United

After two hugely successful seasons under David Moyes, which ended in consecutive top-seven finishes and a run to the semi-final of the Europa League, this campaign is proving an altogether more difficult proposition.

The 3-1 Boxing Day defeat to Arsenal was West Ham’s fourth successive Premier League loss and leaves the Hammers just a point above the drop zone after 16 games.

It certainly wasn’t meant to be this way after a summer which saw United spend close to £200 million on players. Lucas Paqueta, Gianluca Scamacca and Maxwel Cornet were bought into bolster the attacking threat but have combined for just two Premier League goals and four assists so far.

Centre-backs Nayef Aguerd and Thilo Kehrer also joined from Rennes and PSG, with the former playing only 75 minutes of Premier League football thus far.

The Hammers started slowly, taking four points from their opening seven matches, but appeared to turn a corner in October. Wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fulham and Bournemouth helped them to 10 points in the month and a spot in the top half of the table.

However, that was as good as it got. Four straight Premier League defeats, and a Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Blackburn Rovers, have made for a tough end to the year in E20.

Respite has come in the Europa Conference League with a perfect campaign so far. Viborg were swept aside in the play-off round, before West Ham cruised to six wins from six in a group containing Anderlecht, Silkeborg, and FCSB.

And it has been the Hammers' defence which has kept them out of more trouble. Moyes’ side have the Premier League’s seventh-meanest defence, while also giving up the eighth-fewest shots per game.

Moyes has been consistent in his selection so far this season, with seven Hammers starting 14 or more of their Premier League fixtures. Lukas Fabianski has been an ever-present in goal, as have the midfield pairing of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek, and winger Jarrod Bowen.

Aaron Cresswell, Kehrer and Kurt Zouma have provided the core of the defensive unit, but it’s been in attack that Moyes has been searching for answers.

Former Bee Said Benrahma is West Ham’s top scorer with three Premier League goals; Michail Antonio, Bowen and Scamacca are all one behind him on two.

However, aside from Bowen, none of West Ham’s advanced players have managed to nail down a starting spot.

THE GAMEPLAN

With The Athletic journalist Roshane Thomas

“[Moyes] rotated quite a bit in the friendlies. Against Cambridge, if memory serves me well, he played 4-2-3-1 in the first half and then 4-4-2 in the second. I think he'll revert to the former against Brentford.

"The back four takes care of itself, but what I want to see is whether he plays Lucas Paqueta in the number 10 role or alongside Rice in the midfield two. Quite often, it has been Rice and Tomas Soucek, but, for whatever reason, that partnership hasn't worked out over the last 18 months."

Read our full interview with Roshane Thomas here.

TEAM NEWS

Thomas Frank's pre-match press conference

Aaron Hickey, Thomas Strakosha (both ankle) and Kristoffer Ajer (hamstring) are all getting closer but won’t make tomorrow’s trip to East London. Frank Onyeka (hamstring) and Shandon Baptiste (groin) will also miss out.

West Ham are hopeful of having Gianluca Scamacca (ankle) back, but Nayef Aguerd (virus) is a major doubt. Maxwel Cornet (calf) and Kurt Zouma (knee) are definite absentees.

THE BOSS

David Moyes

David Moyes' playing career began with Celtic where he won the Scottish Premier Division in 1982. Spells with Cambridge United, Bristol City, Shrewsbury Town, Dunfermline Athletic and Hamilton followed before he joined Preston North End in 1993.

As player, coach, and then manager, Moyes spent almost a decade at Deepdale winning promotion from the fourth tier as a player in 1996 and the third tier as a manager in 2000.

In March 2002, the Glasgow-born coach took charge at Everton, a position he would hold for 11 years.

He was twice voted LMA Manager of the Year while at Goodison Park before Manchester United tasked him to replace Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.

His tenure at Old Trafford lasted just 10 months before he was sacked with United seventh in the Premier League.

Year-long spells with Real Sociedad and Sunderland followed, before Moyes took over at West Ham in November 2017. He saved the Hammers from relegation but left in May 2018 after not being offered a new contract.

He returned to east London in December 2019 to replace Manuel Pellegrini. He finished seventh in his first full season before going one better last time round, as well as reaching the last four of the Europa League.

OPPOSITION VIEW

David Moyes told the media earlier today: “I think Thomas Frank has done a really good job and I think Brentford have done a really good job. The model they've got is different from many clubs but it's a good one. With the contract, it makes the players realise that the board have faith in Thomas Frank, and they are going to stick with him. I think they are doing an awful lot of good things and deserve credit for that.”

LAST MEETING

Brentford 2 West Ham United 0 (Premier League, 10 April 2022)

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Darren England

Assistants: James Mainwaring and Steven Meredith

Fourth official: David Ward

VAR: John Brooks

Assistant VAR: Simon Long

Tomorrow will be Darren England’s 15th game in charge of Brentford - the most of any team in the English pyramid.

We have won six of the previous 14, with a further three draws and five defeats. Having lost just one of our first 10 under the south Yorkshire official, we’ve lost the last four, most recently at Aston Villa in October.

England has awarded four penalties in his six Brentford Premier League matches, two for and two against, and has shown a joint-high two red cards so far this term.

West Ham United 22/23

154 fouls – 14th in Premier League

21 yellow cards – 16th in Premier League

0 red cards – joint-fewest in Premier League