West Ham – Stoke City Preview: Scott Parker looking to score his third goals in as many games against the Potters

Scott Parker, West Ham (Getty Images)

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• West Ham United may find it difficult against 10th placed Stoke City today, since they have averaged only 0.53 goals-per-game against top-half opposition this season.
• Watching the line is not Hammers’ strong point, as they have been caught offside the most times in the Premier League this season – straying behind the back line on 92 occasions.
• Since Avram Grant was issued a win ultimatum back in December of last year, the Hammers have won eight out of 15 games in all competitions.
• West Ham have kept only three clean sheets this term.
• Scott Parker is looking for his Stoke City hat-trick for the season, netting in the previous two games between the two in 2010-11 – one of which was a League Cup tie that ended 3-1 in favour of the Hammers.
• Stoke City are bottom of the Premier League’s half-time league, being up at the interval in only three of their 28 games so far.
• However, when they win at half-time, they keep it that way. Having held up to all of their interval leads, the Potters have the league’s only unblemished record.
• Stoke have been uninspiring, at best, in their travels recently, as they have lost their last five and have failed to score in the four most recent of these.
• Having hit the target with a meagre 36 per cent of their shots this season, it is not hard to see why.
• They are lethal from set-pieces, though, scoring the highest percentage of goals from training ground routines this term, with 56% of goals coming from such situations.

October 27, 2010: West Ham 3-1 Stoke City (AET)

Extra-time strikes from Manuel Da Costa and Victor Obinna sealed the Hammers’ place in the League Cup quarter-finals after Scott Parker’s late equaliser cancelled out Kenwyne Jones’ opener.