West Ham host Middlesbrough at the London Stadium this afternoon.
This afternoon sees West Ham United take on Middlesbrough at the London Stadium.
Neither side has enjoyed a strong start to the season, with both only managing one win so far.
Aitor Karanka’s team have fared fairly better, picking up five points compared to West Ham’s tally of three.
It means both are desperate to pick up all three points in this game to move up the table.
Key to both sides hopes will be who wins the midfield battle, with both teams arguably their strongest in that department.
The star men in there are Dimitri Payet and Stewart Downing, so how do the two players compare so far this season? We found out.
West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet
And as it transpires it is the current West Ham man, as he came out on top in four of the eight areas looked at.
So far this season he has registered more successful final third passes and key passes per game than Downing.
He has also won more dribbles per game and registered more assists, three compared to two.
West Bromwich Albion’s Craig Dawson in action with Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing
The Middlesbrough man has however enjoyed more accurate passes per game and a better overall passing accuracy, while he has also lost possession of the ball on few occasions.
The only area the two are level is when it comes to goals, with neither having opened their accounts so far this season.
A narrow win for Payet on this occasion, though, and West Ham will be hoping he can help them be victorious on Saturday to end their poor run of form.
West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet applauds fans after the game
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