Stoke City winger Marko Arnautovic. (Photo : Getty Images)
Reeling squad West Ham United FC (6-4-5, 23 points) will try to stop its five-game losing skid as it faces slowly rising Stoke City FC (6-5-4, 22 points) at the Upton Park on Saturday, December 12 for a 2015-2016 Premier League season encounter.
West Ham used to be in the top five of the league table, but after two losses and three draws in its last five outings, the team has dropped to the seventh spot at the moment.
The Hammers are coming off a goalless draw with powerhouse team Manchester United at the Old Trafford last Saturday.
Despite two clean sheets for opposing goalkeepers Adrián and David De Gea, the game was actually highly entertaining with both teams getting their fair share of chances.
Slaven Bilić's side had "four fantastic chances, including hitting the post twice", but the Red Devils held on for the tie, as per SkySports.
Meanwhile, Stoke City pulled off a stunning 2-0 upset victory over erstwhile league leader Manchester City at the Britannia Stadium also last Saturday, via The Guardian.
Austrian winger Marko Arnautovic provided the double for Mark Hughes's squad during the first 15 minutes of the match, as the Potters held City from reciprocating the rest of the way.
It was Stoke's third win in its last four games to move up to the 11th spot in the overall standings.
The prediction is a close 1-0 win for Stoke City. The Potters rally behind Arnautovic once more, handing West Ham their sixth straight winless effort.
West Ham starting lineup (4-1-4-1 formation): Adrián; Reid, Tomkins, Cresswell, Ogbonna; Moses; Zárate, Kouyaté, Noble, Song; Carroll
Stoke City starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Butland; Johnson, Wollscheid, Pieters, Shawcross; Arnautovic, Cameron; Afellay, Shaqiri, Whelan; Bojan
