Burnley vs West Ham prediction 16.08.2026 | Championship

Since the 2021/22 season, Burnley have been constantly between the Championship and the Premier League. After one good year in the second level, they are regularly one of the worst in the top flight. Last season, the Clarets were not even close to avoiding relegation, with only 22 points in 38 league rounds. Burnley have ambitions to fight for another promotion in the 2026/27 season. Still, their preseason doesn't offer much optimism, as Nicky Hayen's team won only once in seven matches this summer, including preseason. The only victory came last week in the EFL Cup, when Burnley won after penalties against Notts County.

Burnley struggled in some parts of the game against Notts County, but the head coach, Nicky Hayen, still found some reasons for satisfaction. He said, "I'm happy to go through to the next round of the cup; this is the most important. At the end, that's what counts. We're aware it wasn't the perfect performance today. We had some really good moments, but there were also moments when we were too sloppy; we played too slowly, and this is something that we have to improve."

Burnley have almost a full squad available for Sunday afternoon. The only ones unavailable will be Louis Beyer and Josh Cullen.

After 14 consecutive seasons in the Premier League, West Ham suffered relegation. They were two points short and now will have to compete in the lower level. Given the quality of their squad and the resources at their disposal, anything other than an immediate return to the Premier League would be a major disappointment. This summer, the Hammers were unbeaten in five matches, including friendlies. Last week, in the EFL Cup, West Ham won 3-1 at home against Portsmouth.

West Ham dominated against a fellow Championship side in the EFL Cup, but the manager, Nuno Espírito Santo, wasn't fully satisfied. He commented, "I think it was a good performance, but we didn't start the game well. This has to be a lesson for us to understand what the game requires. We didn't get into the flow of the game; we only started really playing the way we wanted to after we scored. Then we started combining, and after that it was a very good performance by the boys."

West Ham are very active in the transfer market this summer. Since the last match, they signed Manor Solomon from Tottenham, and now the Hammers are closing the deal for Celtic's Arne Engels, too.

Tomas Soucek is injured and will not play on Sunday at Turf Moor, while Mohamadou Kante is questionable and his status will become clearer closer to kickoff.