West Ham United will try to get their campaign for a European spot back on track when they take on Watford at Upton Park on Wednesday night.
Slaven Bilic's side have drawn all of their last four Premier League matches, while the Hornets ended a six-game winless run last weekend.
West Ham United
© Getty ImagesA few weeks ago, the Hammers were mentioned as possible top-four contenders, dislodging the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City or Manchester United for a place in next season's Champions League.
However, Bilic's side have hit a stumbling block as they have drawn their last four league games, which were against Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Arsenal and Leicester City.
The East London outfit were dealt a big blow in their season when they were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United in an FA Cup quarter-final replay at home last week.
A 1-1 draw, which included a free-kick goal from Dimitri Payet, earned West Ham a replay, but they were unable to get their desired result at Upton Park as goals from Marcus Rashford and Marouane Fellaini pushed United into the semi-finals.
Bilic's side aimed to bounce back from their disappointing cup exit by trying to upset Premier League leaders Leicester at the King Power Stadium, and they almost succeeded.
Jamie Vardy opened the scoring in the 18th minute, but after the Foxes' star striker was sent off 11 minutes into the second half, Leicester began to unravel.
Andy Carroll scored from the penalty spot in the 84th minute and Aaron Cresswell looked to have won the game for West Ham with a stunning strike four minutes from normal time, but Leonardo Ulloa struck with a spot kick in the 94th minute to record a 2-2 draw.
That point has kept the Hammers in contention for a Europa League spot as they are three points behind it in sixth place, but their Champions League hopes are dwindling as they are seven points off the top four with five games left to play.
To put into perspective, though, West Ham have the chance of going nine Premier League games unbeaten for the first time since an 18-match spell in 1985.
In addition, Bilic's men can set a league record of 15 home matches without defeat if they manage to earn a win or draw against Watford tomorrow evening.
They may not be getting over the line when it comes to victories at the moment, but they have an in-form striker in their ranks - Carroll has scored five goals in his last five matches in all competitions.
Recent form: WWDDDD
Recent form (all competitions): DDDDLD
Watford
© Getty ImagesQuique Flores has the chance of guiding Watford to silverware in the club's first season back among the football elite in England as his team are two wins away from lifting the FA Cup.
Considering that the semi-final against Crystal Palace will be staged at Wembley this Sunday, the Hornets can be forgiven for keeping one eye on that showdown.
They do, though, have to take on West Ham beforehand, and it could prove to be a difficult test as they have won just three Premier League games in 2016.
It is not the most encouraging of statistics, but there could be a sign that the tide is turning in Watford's top-flight form as they managed to earn all three points against West Bromwich Albion last weekend.
Ben Watson scored the only goal of the game at The Hawthorns, but Watford have goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes to thank for the result.
The shot-stopper managed to deny Saido Berahino from scoring two penalties across the 90 minutes, and in turn helped the club secure their Premier League safety.
The Hornets have 41 points and sit 12th in the standings, 11 points above the bottom three, which currently includes Sunderland, Newcastle United and the already-relegated Aston Villa.
Watford head into tomorrow's match with a decent away win record (six) as only five teams in the division have won more games than the Hornets on the road this season.
The negative, though, is that Watson is only the third player within the team to score more than one league goal following his strike against West Brom last weekend.
Recent form: LLLLDW
Recent form (all competitions): LWLLDW
Team News
© Getty ImagesDiafra Sakho is in line to return to the West Ham squad after recovering from a knee injury, which means that Bilic has a full-strength setup to select from.
Manuel Lanzini and Sam Byram are among the players who have recently returned to fitness, suggesting that both could be thrown into the starting lineup tomorrow night.
As for Watford, Flores has already revealed that he will be making wholesale changes for the game with the FA Cup semi-final in mind.
The Hornets' leading scorers Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney are likely to keep their places, but a handful of players, including Etienne Capoue, could be rested.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Adrian; Byram, Ogbonna, Reid, Cresswell; Noble, Kouyate; Antonio, Lanzini, Payet; Carroll
Watford possible starting lineup:
Gomes; Paredes, Cathcart, Britos, Ake; Behrami, Suarez, Watson, Amrabat; Deeney, Ighalo
Head To Head
West Ham and Watford last met in the Premier League in October and goals from Ighalo resulted in a 2-0 triumph at Vicarage Road.
It has been four years since the two sides played one another at Upton Park, and the last time that they did so was in March 2012, when a 1-1 draw was played out.
In 16 league meetings at West Ham's home, the hosts have won 12 of them, while the remaining four resulted in two defeats and two draws.
In all competitions, though, West Ham have managed to win just one of their last seven games against Watford, who have won four, lost one and drawn two.
We say: West Ham United 2-0 Watford
The Hammers lost out on their chance of winning silverware this season and their only focus now is to finish as high as possible in the Premier League table. They have been frustrated with four draws in a row in the top flight and will be determined to get a win on the board and put pressure on Manchester United above them. Flores has made it clear that this weekend's FA Cup semi-final is his priority, meaning that players will be rested at Upton Park tomorrow. Considering the form of both sides, it should be a routine win for West Ham.
