West Ham's first Championship campaign in 14 years gets under way this weekend as they travel to Burnley on Sunday.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side face a daunting first examination as a second-tier outfit, with their hosts also hoping to secure promotion straight back to the Premier League this season.
Transfer struggles and a key addition
A difficult summer means the Hammers still have plenty of work to do in the transfer market, though they have been boosted by the recent arrival of Manor Solomon from Tottenham.
Despite having sold well in this window and brought in over £150million for Crysencio Summerville, Mateus Fernandes and Freddie Potts, West Ham have struggled to find replacements.
While Solomon is a direct successor to Summerville, they are still short in midfield as negotiations for Celtic's Arne Engels drag on. Uncertainty around the club's ownership has only served to confuse the issue further.
Team news and injury updates
Nuno's focus is on the players he currently has at his disposal, and he will hope to build on West Ham's come-from-behind Carabao Cup victory over Portsmouth by making a statement at Turf Moor.
The West Ham boss will be able to call upon El Hadji Malick Diouf, who looks set to stay in east London despite being subject to interest from Brentford earlier in the window. James Ward-Prowse, meanwhile, has been called in from the cold after spending the second half of last season on loan at Burnley.
Experienced midfielder Tomas Soucek will not be involved against Burnley after suffering a serious ankle injury during the Czech Republic's final World Cup group match against Mexico at the end of June.
Venezuelan winger Keiber Lamadrid is in a race against time to be fit after sustaining a knee injury during West Ham's friendly against FC Magdeburg two weeks ago. As Standard Sport reported last week, Lamadrid is expected to be out for between two to three weeks, therefore making him a doubt for the game against Burnley.
Captain Bowen leads the attack
Other than that, Nuno has a nearly fully-fit squad to pick from as he looks to make the perfect start to life in the Championship. That includes captain Jarrod Bowen, who has committed his future to West Ham for at least one more season.
The England international had interest from a number of Premier League clubs, but turned down their advances to help West Ham's promotion bid. He started the season with a goal in the 3-1 victory over Portsmouth last weekend and will expect to carry on his good form as the focal point of the Hammers' attack.
Predicted West Ham XI: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Kilman, Mavropanos, Diouf, Kante, Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Bowen, Castellanos, Solomon
Time and date: 4pm BST on Sunday August 16, 2026
Venue: Turf Moor
How to watch: Sky Sports
