West Ham United return to London Stadium on Saturday looking for their first Championship victory of the season when Charlton Athletic make the short trip across the capital.
Nuno Espírito Santo’s side opened their league campaign with a 2-2 draw at Burnley, but attention now turns to a fixture which has not been played in the league for almost two decades.
Charlton have confirmed that their entire 3,001-ticket allocation has sold out, with Saturday representing the first league meeting between the two clubs since 2007.
The match kicks off at 3pm BST on Saturday 22 August at London Stadium.
West Ham v Charlton early team news
Nuno already has two important selection decisions to make.
Pablo Felipe is a doubt after sustaining a calf problem during the first half against Burnley. ReadWestHam reported on Tuesday that the forward faces a race to be available for Charlton.
There should be better news surrounding Arne Engels.
The £22million signing was unavailable at Turf Moor because his transfer from Celtic was completed too late for him to be registered for the opening league fixture.
Engels is now expected to be available on Saturday and could make his West Ham debut. ReadWestHam covered the Championship-record signing’s potential first appearance after confirmation that his Burnley absence was registration-related.
Joel Piroe could become another name to monitor later in the week.
The Leeds United striker has completed his medical ahead of a proposed move to West Ham, although his transfer must be finalised before any potential involvement against Charlton can be assessed.
Charlton bring sold-out following to London Stadium
Saturday’s match should produce one of the more atmospheric early fixtures of West Ham’s Championship campaign.
Charlton have sold all 3,001 tickets allocated to their supporters for their first away match of the new league season.
The Addicks also arrive after winning their opening Championship fixture, while West Ham are searching for a first victory after allowing a two-goal advantage to disappear at Burnley.
For Nuno, the home opener therefore provides an immediate opportunity to respond.
With Engels potentially making his debut, Pablo facing a fitness race and more transfer business still being completed, West Ham’s first London derby of the Championship season already has several significant selection storylines.
