West Ham welcome Southampton to the London Stadium on 24 October 2026 for Championship Matchweek 12. West Ham sit second on 22 points from 11 games with a goal difference of +18 and 30 goals scored, whereas Southampton are eighth on 17 points with just 10 conceded. Four points separate them and West Ham can extend their nine match unbeaten run with a win here. Nuno Espirito Santo kept his role after relegation to drive this promotion push, while Tonda Eckert earned a permanent appointment after steering Southampton through a complicated interim period. Both sides line up in a 4-2-3-1 but what they do with it is quite different and that difference is probably where this game gets decided.
Nuno and Eckert have never met as managers, which removes any historical edge from the equation. Nuno took charge on 27 September 2025 after replacing Graham Potter and has built a front footed side that presses high and transitions quickly, a profile that fits neatly with their 30 goals in 11 games, whereas Eckert arrived permanently on 5 December 2025 after a convoluted situation involving Will Still and has kept Southampton competitive without the attacking numbers to match the sides above them. Whether Eckert's compact shape can absorb what Nuno's side throws at it, or whether the quality gap simply tells, is the central question of this fixture.
West Ham's last five games went W-D-D-W-W, featuring back to back 6-0 wins over Lincoln City and Wrexham, while Southampton's recent five reads D-W-W-L-W, with three unbeaten coming into this one, having leaned on their defensive record rather than their attack to get there.
West Ham have no injury concerns heading into this one, whereas Southampton are missing Flynn Downes (ankle doubt), Cyle Larin (injury doubt) and Mads Roerslev (long term knee problem), three players who cover midfield control, forward options and defensive width against the division's most prolific attack.
West Ham's 4-2-3-1 is built to press high and transition quickly, which explains much of their 30 goal return in just 11 games. The two central midfielders give Jarrod Bowen licence to roam as a mobile forward in dangerous half spaces, while Konstantinos Mavropanos adds a set piece threat from both boxes with around five goals to his name already. Southampton's version of the same shape uses Ward-Prowse to set the tempo and Azaz to find pockets once the block is set. Without Downes, Larin and Roerslev, Eckert has to reconfigure his midfield screen and forward line and will probably lean heavily on Ward-Prowse to hold things together while hoping Azaz can find space. Roerslev's absence leaves a gap in their defensive coverage out wide and Southampton's backline will have to manage Mavropanos at corners while already dealing with West Ham in open play, shorthanded.
West Ham are unbeaten in the last five meetings with Southampton, including a 4-1 Carabao Cup win in August 2026. The last Championship meeting was a 1-1 draw in February 2012 and the cup result is the more instructive data point.
Three absences reshape this game entirely for Southampton. Losing Downes, Larin and Roerslev ahead of a game against the division's most prolific attack forces Eckert into a reactive setup that gives Nuno's side the exact matchup they would have drawn up: a depleted midfield screen and a shortened forward line against the division's most active pressing team. Nuno's side should control the middle through their central pair and lean on Mavropanos to convert at least one set piece opportunity. 2-0 is where the balance of the team news and the form points and it could be more if the set pieces land.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
