Burnley vs West Ham – News and Probable Lineups

On Sunday, Burnley and West Ham United—both considered favorites for the Championship title in the 2026-27 season—will kick off their campaign in the second tier.

After both teams were relegated from the Premier League last season, they aim to return to the top flight immediately.

Match overview

Despite West Ham offloading players like Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville for significant sums, they rightfully hold the position of favorites to capture the Championship trophy come season’s end.

Retaining Jarrod Bowen at the London Stadium is crucial for them this summer, while the additions of Joel Veltman and Manor Solomon to Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad brings essential quality and experience that might push West Ham closer to their goals.

They are likely to make further signings and offload some higher earners, but a 3-1 win over Portsmouth last weekend in the EFL Cup first round indicates that the Hammers are gearing up for the new season.

The head coach, Nuno, will also be pleased with the fact that West Ham finished their five pre-season matches undefeated, including a 5-0 rout at Stevenage and a goalless stalemate against Rangers.

Now West Ham embark on a journey for what could be their toughest away match of the season, and returning with three points would send a strong message.

On Burnley’s side, new head coach Nicky Hayen has been at the helm for only five weeks, which limits the time available to get Burnley into form.

Last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Notts County may not fill their supporters with complete enthusiasm, but they did progress to the second round of the EFL Cup via penalties.

This summer has seen a few vital players leave Turf Moor, notably Maxime Esteve to RB Leipzig and Jaidon Anthony to Brentford.

However, in addition to bringing in inexperienced players Ugo Raghouber and Lluc Castell from Lille and Espanyol respectively, more newcomers are expected to arrive in the weeks ahead.

Burnley remains winless in pre-season matches, although they did manage a draw with Espanyol and lost narrowly to teams like Ajax and Torino.

Team News

Unless there are any new injury concerns, Burnley might field the same lineup that started against Notts County.

Nonetheless, Josh Laurent could replace new signing Raghouber in midfield, and Zeki Amdouni might take the place of Aaron Ramsey in attack if Hayen wants to take a more aggressive approach.

With speculation about his future, West Ham defender El Hadji Malick Diouf is likely to remain on the bench for this fixture.

Veltman might also be kept on the bench, while Solomon is expected to be included among the substitutes at best after joining from Tottenham Hotspur.

New signing Keiber Lamadrid is anticipated to be sidelined due to a minor injury issue.

Burnley probable starting XI:

Weiss; Walker, Worrell, Humphreys; Sonne, Mejbri, Raghouber, Bruun Larsen; Edwards, Ramsey; Flemming

West Ham United probable starting XI:

Hermansen; Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Scarles; Alvarez, Orford; Bowen, Kante, Pablo; Castellanos

While West Ham seemed more ready for the new season than Burnley last weekend, it is essential to remember that Burnley can prove a challenging opponent at Turf Moor in the Championship.

Considering this, a low-scoring draw appears to be a plausible outcome, potentially favoring both sides.