When we return to London Stadium to take on Atalanta in the Betway Cup on Saturday afternoon at 3pm, West Ham United will play in front of our biggest home crowd in nearly 18 months.
Tens of thousands of Hammers fans will return to the ground this weekend, marking the team’s largest home crowd since beating Southampton in the Premier League on 29 February 2020. COVID restrictions have been lifted, but protocols Atalanta news and a Code of Conduct remain in place.
As the game is not televised in the UK due to broadcast restrictions, the only option for British-based fans to watch the action live is to purchase a ticket for London Stadium.
Ticket news
Prices start at just £15 for adults and £5 for juniors at eTicketing.co.uk/whufc, 0333 030 1966 and the London Stadium Ticket Office.
Our Club London hospitality areas are available from just £49 per person, so you can watch the game in style too. Buy now by clicking here or call us at 020 8114 2442.
Supporters will be able to purchase on the day, but we recommend arriving early at the Stadium as the Ticket Office will be very busy. Tickets will be available until 5 p.m. on Friday.
Team news
On Thursday, Alphonse Areola completed a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain to West Ham United. The France international could make his debut for the Hammers.
Goalkeeper Juan Musso and centre-back Matteo Lovato from Udinese and Parma’s Giuseppe Pezzella have both signed permanent contracts, while Juan Musso and Matteo Lovato are on loan.
Likewise, Brazilian defender Roger Iba*ez has joined Roma, Gambian forward Musa Barrow has moved to Bologna, Danish striker Andreas Cornelius has joined Parma and Italian goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini has joined Tottenham Hotspur on loan.
Match details
The Betway Cup will be presented to the winner of the West Ham United v Atalanta match on Saturday night.
At the end of 90 minutes, if the scores are level, penalties will determine the winner. There will be no extra time.
During the second half, substitutions can only be made three times per team, though multiple substitutions are allowed on every occasion. This is to minimize disruptions and to ensure continuity of the game.
If a player suffers a serious injury in the second half after all three permitted substitutions have been made, further substitution occasions will be permitted.
Atalanta is the opponent
The average number of goals scored per Serie A game rose from 2.56 a decade ago to 3.06 last season, shattering Italy’s long-held reputation for defensive football.
Since the early 2000s, Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio has led the way in open, attacking football, breaking all kinds of goalscoring records.
A total of 265 Serie A goals have been scored by Atalanta over the previous three seasons at an average of 2.32 goals per game.
In the past three seasons, Atalanta has scored more goals than any team in Europe’s top five leagues, except for Manchester City (280) and Paris Saint-Germain (267). All three of these leaders were former players of Atalanta.
PSG and City have similar budgets, while Atalanta has a much larger budget. While their English and French rivals have spent hundreds of millions assembling their squads, Atalanta’s success is due to their worldwide scouting network, shrewd recruitment and either developing youngsters or improving players who have failed to fulfill their potential elsewhere.
