Town boss Kieran McKenna says it’s really important for the Blues to finish their season well when they host West Ham United at Portman Road on Sunday afternoon, believing there’s lots to play for in the game.

The Blues’ relegation back to the Championship was confirmed close to a month ago, while last week’s 2-0 loss at Leicester saw them drop three points below the Foxes into 19th.

A victory for Town and a defeat for Leicester in another dead rubber at AFC Bournemouth, who are now out of contention for a European place, would see the Blues move back ahead of them on goal difference. Each position in the Premier League is worth around £3 million.

West Ham are 15th in the table but could climb above Wolves into 14th if they beat the Blues on Sunday.

McKenna is determined to end the season on a high note with Town having won only once at Portman Road in the league during 2024/25 - the 2-0 success against Chelsea just after Christmas - and having lost their last eight and 13 times overall on home turf this season, both club records, the latter jointly with 1994/95.

“It is really important – there is no doubt about it,” McKenna said. “For me, it genuinely feels like there’s lots to play for in the last game in many different aspects.

“We can’t guarantee the result in any level of football but we need to guarantee the commitment we give to the performance and we need to guarantee that we give the supporters a good day, so that’s what we are going to try and do.”

The game sees former Blues left-back Aaron Cresswell, 35, make his final appearance for the Hammers after 11 years with the club back on his old stomping ground.

“It is fitting,” McKenna reflected. “It’s a good story for him. I don’t him personally but everyone says he’s a good professional and a good guy and he has done a top job for both teams.

“I am sure he will get a good reception on Sunday, though we hope he doesn’t get the result that he would like as a West Ham player. I know he is one that everyone at the club thinks highly of.”

The Team

Despite losing at Leicester last week, the Blues were on top and in charge for long spells and created enough chances to have won the match.

That being the case, McKenna may stick very closely to the same team, although he revealed at his press conference that there had been some sickness in the camp this week.

Assuming everyone is fit and well, Alex Palmer should start in goal with Axel Tuanzebe, who is continuing talks regarding his Town future with his contract up at the end of the season, at right-back and Leif Davis on the left. Dara O’Shea and Jacob Greaves are likely to continue at the centre of the defence.

Skipper Sam Morsy and Jens Cajuste, whose loan spell will be up after the game, will be the central midfielders.

Ahead of them, McKenna may again start with Omari Hutchinson on the right, Julio Enciso, also playing the final match of his loan, in the middle and Jack Clarke on the left.

Delap, who has been in talks with Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle regarding his summer move away from the Blues, seems likely to make his final appearance for the club from the start.

Sammie Szmodics, a lifelong Hammers fan, could make his return to the squad for the first time in three months following ankle surgery.

Massimo Luongo looks certain to play some part in the game as a sub with manager McKenna having announced that the Australian international will leave the club this summer.

The Opposition

The Hammers have won only one of their last 10, a 2-0 success at Manchester United a fortnight ago, one of five away victories this season in addition to five draws and eight losses.

In addition to Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal, Lukasz Fabianski and Danny Ings are also leaving the club this summer.

Like McKenna, West Ham boss Graham Potter wants to end the season in a positive manner and isn’t going to field an experimental side despite the game having little of consequence in it.

“We need to be competitive and solid, and respectful of the fact that they'll want to finish in the right way. We want to play with purpose and win the game,” he said.

“Our focus is to try to win the match. Mixing things up with one game to go doesn't make sense, and we'll be going for the win.

“It's very important for us. We want to finish as high as we can, and a win will give us the best chance of doing that. After that, we need to look at how we improve.”

Potter, who was interviewed for the Town job following Mick McCarthy’s departure, backs the Blues to bounce back from this season’s relegation having been impressed by their climb from League One to the Premier League.

“It's been amazing,” he said. “They had two promotions and when he [McKenna) first went in there compared to where the club is now, it's been an amazing journey for them. They've had a setback, but sometimes that's when you learn and they'll come again.”

Potter is, seemingly like all Premier League bosses, a fan of Liam Delap: “He's strong, physical and direct - a bit of an old-school forward. He uses his body well, but has quality too. He's had a good season.”

The Hammers have no new injuries with forwards Michail Antonio (leg) and Crysencio Summerville (hamstring) remaining unavailable.

History

Historically, West Ham have had the better of it, the Blues winning 21 games between the sides (21 in the league), the Hammers 28 (25) and 20 (17) ending in draws.

In October, Delap netted his fourth Premier League goal but Town were comfortably beaten 4-1 by West Ham United on their first visit to the London Stadium.

The Hammers went in front in the 49th second via Michail Antonio but the Blues hit back on six through Delap.

However, the home side finished the first half strongly and restored their lead through Mohammed Kudus, then four minutes after the restart Jarrod Bowen made it 3-1 and on 69 Lucas Paqueta added the fourth as the Irons picked up home points for the first time this season.

The teams last met at Portman Road in January 2012 when Town recorded their first double of the season with a form book-shredding 5-1 victory over the Championship leading Hammers, who would eventually win promotion via the play-offs.

Michael Chopra opened the scoring in the third minute, Daryl Murphy adding the second in a frantic period before the break in which Jack Collison, who later had a spell with the Blues without making a first-team appearance, pulled one back for the visitors and Lee Martin made it 3-1 from the spot.

In the second half, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas netted the night’s best goal, a low 35-yard strike which beat Robert Green off his post, then added the fifth in the final moments.

Familiar Faces

West Ham left-back Cresswell, who will be playing his final game for the club after 11 years with the Hammers, played for Town in the 5-1 win over his current side having joined the Blues after leaving Tranmere in the summer of 2011. The Liverpudlian, now 34, made 138 starts for the Blues, scoring seven goals.

He moved to the Hammers in the summer of 2014 for £3.75 million rising to £7 million, all based on appearances.

Town’s on-loan Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who misses the game through injury, was on loan with the Hammers in the second half of last season.

It was not a happy spell with the England international making only three starts and seven sub appearances and falling out with fans with matters coming to a head when he raised a middle finger to an abusive fan as he got on the team bus.

Blues right-back Ben Johnson moved to Portman Road after leaving the Hammers last summer having been with the East Londoners since he was seven. Johnson made 70 starts and 39 sub appearances, scoring twice for the Hammers.

Officials

Sunday’s referee is Tim Robinson with his assistants Mark Scholes and Steve Meredith, the fourth official Sam Allison, the VAR official Matt Donohue and his assistant Mat Wilkes.

West Sussex-based Robinson was last at Portman Road for the 4-1 defeat to Tottenham in February, yellow-carding Clarke, Ben Godfrey and one of the North Londoners.

Two months earlier, he was the official at the centre of controversy during the Leicester City match at Portman Road.

In the second half, the Blues, then 1-0 in front, were denied a penalty when Conor Chaplin was clearly fouled inside the area by Abdul Fatawu.

VAR opted not to overturn the penalty decision, despite Robinson appearing to have been unsighted when the incident took place, and to add insult to injury Phillips was harshly dismissed for a second bookable offence in the aftermath.

The game eventually ended 1-1 with the visitors levelling in the fourth minute of injury time. In addition to Phillips’s two yellow cards, Robinson booked Cajuste, Chaplin, Aro Muric, George Hirst and two Foxes.

Robinson was also in charge of the 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool on the opening day when he booked Wes Burns, Luke Woolfenden, Hutchinson and one of the visitors.

Prior to that, the former PE teacher’s last Town match was the 2-1 home victory over Shrewsbury in November 2020 in which he cautioned only last-minute goalscorer Jack Lankester.

He was also in the middle for the away game at Sheffield United on the penultimate weekend of the 2018/19 season in which he yellow-carded Alan Judge and no one else as the Blades beat the Blues 2-0 to secure promotion.

Before that he was in the middle for the 1-1 draw with Villa at Portman Road in August 2019 in which he harshly red-carded loanee Tayo Edun on his Blues full league debut for two bookable offences, as well as cautioning Janoi Donacien and two visitors.

Robinson also refereed the 1-0 home defeat to Norwich City in October 2017 in which he cautioned only Luke Chambers, Flynn Downes and Jordan Spence.

A month earlier Robinson officiated during the 5-2 thrashing of Sunderland in which he booked Tristan Nydam and three Wearsiders.

Prior to that he took charge of 2017/18’s 1-0 opening day victory over Birmingham City when he yellow-carded Spence and one visitor.

The season before that he officiated in the 3-1 home win against Newcastle United in which he cautioned David McGoldrick, Tom Lawrence and one Magpie.

Robinson also refereed Town’s 1-0 success at Villa in February 2017, in which he booked only Jonas Knudsen and Toumani Diagouraga, and the 1-0 victory over Preston at Portman Road in August 2016, in which he cautioned Cole Skuse and one visiting player.

He was also in charge of the 1-0 win at Derby on the final day of 2015/16 and yellow-carded skipper Chambers, Adam McDonnell and two Rams.

Before that, he took control of the 2-1 home victory over Reading in February 2016 in which he booked Christophe Berra and two visiting players.

Robinson’s only other competitive Town game was the 2-0 home defeat to Middlesbrough in December 2015 in which he again cautioned Berra and two visitors.

Squad From

Palmer, Walton, Slicker, Tuanzebe, Davis, Godfrey, O’Shea, Woolfenden, Burgess, Greaves, Morsy, Cajuste, Luongo, Taylor, Johnson, Clarke, Hutchinson, Enciso, Szmodics, Broadhead, Chaplin, Delap, Hirst.

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