West Ham United

There are seven games on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you all the action and reaction.

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Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week two, he takes on Make Me A Mixtape hosts Clara Amfo and Jordan Stephens.

Sutton's prediction: 2-2

Crystal Palace played very well against Brentford and ended up losing. It is a totally different Palace under Oliver Glasner, but Joachim Andersen has left for Fulham and will be a big loss for them.

It is a new dawn for Julen Lopetegui at West Ham and he will want to get his first win under the belt.

Amfo's prediction: 2-2

Stephens' prediction: 1-3

Another good shout. Oddly I've gone for 1-3, because I feel like West Ham are going to go for it.

Read the full predictions and have your say

This season, English top-flight clubs are trialling a new financial system that limits spending based on the earnings of the bottom side, designed to "protect the competitive balance of the Premier League".

Football finance expert Rob Wilson tells The Football News Show why, if permanently introduced, it could make the top Premier League sides less competitive against their European counterparts.

Watch The Football News Show on BBC iPlayer

Maheta Molango, chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association tells The Football News Show why he is concerned at the current and potential future financial rules in the Premier League.

Watch The Football News Show on BBC iPlayer

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League trip to Crystal Palace (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On team news: "We've had a little problem in the training session, but we have to wait and see what happens."

• On midfielder Edson Alvarez's availability: "He has been out for a while and he is progressing well, but let's see. We're not going to have a clear view of how our squad looks until tomorrow."

• On further transfer activity: "My focus is on the players who are here. They all have to be ready, and that's all we're thinking about. We don't want to talk about players who aren't here, although it's true that anything can happen."

• On how his new players are settling in: "They're not all in the same way, because they've been with us for different amounts of time. It's a process, but the season is long and they're all going to help us hugely."

• When asked if any signings who are yet to make their debut [Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug] will play on Saturday: "We will see tomorrow who is ready. Step by step they feel better and more ready, and it's up to us to decide when is the right time to put them in the line-up. They're all here to help us be a better team."

• On facing Palace: "It's gone well [preparations for this game]. We're going to face maybe one of the best teams from the end of last season at their home, so it's a challenge and we're going to have to be ready."

• On his first London derby as Hammers boss: "The importance of the points is the same for us. We know the kinds of things we're going to face at Crystal Palace. We played them in pre-season so we'll be ready. We have to focus on our strengths and believe in our ability."

• After reflecting on his first game in charge against Aston Villa: "Maybe in the last match we deserved to win - but that's in the past and I think we have to look forward. We have another big challenge against Crystal Palace, but we believe in ourselves and we have to show our qualities both with and without the ball in a difficult stadium."

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

West Ham have signed 18-year-old French midfielder Mohamadou Kante from Paris FC.

He has signed a five-year contract but will return to the French second-tier side on loan for the 2024-25 season.

Kante becomes the Hammers' ninth signing of the summer window.

West Ham want to sign 27-year-old Spain midfielder Carlos Soler from Paris St-Germain but must sell players before they can buy. (Guardian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

Both teams have scored in each of the past 14 Premier League meetings between Crystal Palace and West Ham. Only matches between Fulham and Manchester City (15 between 2004 and 2011) can provide a longer run in the competition's history.

James Jones
Fan writer

The Julen Lopetegui era is under way at West Ham and, while many will have viewed the 2-1 home defeat by Aston Villa last weekend as more of the same, there were some huge positives to take.

Much of the complaints about style of play towards the end of David Moyes' tenure centred around possession, namely the fact we never really seemed that concerned about having it. It was often a defence first approach to style. That's evident in the fact West Ham averaged 41% possession in the Premier League last season. Against the previous season's top four, that slipped to 35%.

But on Saturday, West Ham enjoyed 52% possession against Champions League opposition. We had just one fewer shot than Aston Villa, had the same number of shots on target, took more corners and completed 29 more passes. Our total completed passes was 377. We managed more than that in only 11 league games last season. Five of those were against teams who were relegated.

We more than matched Villa and, while it was admittedly frustrating at times, a 2-1 defeat doesn't really tell the whole story.

That should give us reason to be optimistic that Lopetegui's ideas are already getting through. Five of the club's eight new signings featured and only two started. It was always going to take time to adapt and get up to speed, while the entire squad has had to get used to a very different way of playing.

So while starting the season in defeat isn't ideal, it's by no means an indicator of what's to come. Once the new players have fully adapted and Edson Alvarez returns from injury, we should then be in a position to make judgment. Until then, we still need to be patient and trust the process.

Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham, external

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between West Ham and Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Admeus: Pretty much what I expected. New manager, new players, different style of play. It will take a couple of games to establish and gel into a team. At least there was a lot less 'Chuckle Brothers' football (left/right, to you/to me, back) and we were defending higher and looking to attack more. Signs are good for improvement.

Jimbo: Disappointing performance. The biggest disappointment was the starting XI and formation. It might have been Moyes in charge. I hoped for something better and different, but it was the same old dross.

Dave: It's too easy to be critical but this is a new team, a new manager and new tactics - so it's going to take some time to get things right. However, it was a poor first-half performance and, though there were flashes of individual brilliance, we are still not playing as a team. Patience is the word. But that is something that is in short supply these days.

Aston Villa fans

Sam: Some of Villa's play was as good as the way we outplayed Manchester City last season but Emery and the coaches need to find a way to make us more clinical finishers. Hats off to Onana for a great debut. No worries about Watkins - he needs a bit of match fitness and that will come.

Elias: Brilliant performance from the Villa squad. They passed well, found lots of space on the field and managed to contain West Ham during the spells of the game where they had a bit more possession - notably after the penalty and at the start of the second half. Villa could have been more clinical but managed to see it through.

Paul: It was a deserved victory and great to see six players aged 22 and under on the pitch at the final whistle. With seven or eight players still to get up to speed or come back from injury, it shows how much hard work has been done over the summer. West Ham will not lose many at home. We will look back on this as a great result.

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's six Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Manchester United and Fulham.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

• West Ham 1-2 Aston Villa

Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham began their Premier League campaign with defeat at the London Stadium in manager Julen Lopetegui's first game in charge.

The Hammers have now lost their opening Premier League fixture 16 times, more than any other side.

They got off to the worst possible start against Aston Villa, conceding just four minutes in when Amadou Onana rose highest after being unmarked from a corner.

West Ham were punished for defensive frailties last season when they conceded 74 league goals, the most ever by a side to end in the top half, and the Hammers’ highest total since 1967.

Having got back into the game in the first half through Lucas Paqueta's penalty, they were then stung late on by Jhon Duran's finish as Villa sealed a well-earned three points.

Conceding preventable goals is a bad habit they will have to break as they go deeper into the campaign under Lopetegui.

Image source, Getty Images

Julen Lopetegui spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live after West Ham's defeat to Aston Villa: "We took some good chances and we deserved to win.

"I think that is football and sometimes these chances go in and sometimes not. We kept creating chances and pushing. We are very happy.

"The substitutes made a massive difference. I think we had a bit of a dip at that point and the manager made the changes at the right time. The three off them combined for that goal. We have some great players and we are ready to perform."

On season ambitions: "We will have to wait and see because it is only the first game. We have a lot of ambition and we want to build on that. We want to be the best we can be."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

West Ham fans, send us your thoughts, external

What did you make of it, Villa supporters?, external

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Follow reaction and read the match report

There are six games on the opening Saturday of the 2024-25 Premier League and BBC Sport will bring you all the action and reaction throughout the day.

*All times are BST

Follow live here

A new season, and a new challenge for BBC Sport's prediction expert Chris Sutton.

Sutton faced off against a guest for each of the 38 game weeks in 2023-24 and triumphed 21-10 (with seven draws) to secure his second predictions title in a row.

He will have a guest each week this time too, but now you can find out if you can do any better.

Sutton's opponent for the opening round of games is The Courteeners frontman Liam Fray.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

I like what West Ham have done in the transfer market this summer and I am really excited about seeing Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug in the Premier League.

Fullkrug is an old-fashioned, throwback type of striker but he can finish.

Style-wise, the Hammers will be back to the 'West Ham way' under new boss Julen Lopetegui, which is what their fans wanted. Expectations are high so let's see how they get on.

For Aston Villa, the question is whether they can hit the heights of last season again.

It is going to be difficult for them to combine a top-four challenge with Champions League football once that gets started, and there might be some bumps in the road.

This is a difficult one to call because there are reasons to back both teams, so I am going to go with a draw.

Liam's prediction: 1-2

I like watching Villa - I think John McGinn is brilliant - but both of these teams are going to have good seasons.

Read all of this weekend's predictions here

Image source, Reuters

Earlier, we asked you who has made the most Premier League appearances for the Hammers.

Of course, it's Mr West Ham himself Mark Noble, who chalked up 414 appearances during 17 years in East London.

He retired in May 2022 after 47 league goals in his games for the Hammers in England's top flight.

Who has made the most Premier League appearances for West Ham?

Answer will be revealed on this page at 17:00 BST

West Ham have enquired about a move for Paris St-Germain and Spain midfielder Carlos Soler, 27. (Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column