Five Nigerian internationals are expected to play in Saturday’s London derbies, while Tolu Arokodare is likely to make his first home appearance in the Premier League as Wolves host Leeds United at Molineux.
The biggest match for Nigerian fans will be Crystal Palace vs West Ham United at the London Stadium. Christantus Uche, a 22-year-old midfielder, could make his first Premier League start for Palace. He joined on loan from Getafe and has made two appearances from the bench so far.
His loan deal includes a mandatory buy clause if he starts at least 10 matches this season, so this game could be key to securing a permanent move.
In West London, Fulham will face Brentford at Craven Cottage in another exciting derby. Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, and Samuel Chukwueze could all feature for Fulham, while Frank Onyeka is expected to play for Brentford.
Chukwueze missed Fulham’s dramatic 1-0 win over Leeds last weekend, where an own goal in stoppage time gave the team their first win of the season.
Iwobi and Bassey both started that match. Bassey played the full 90 minutes, and Iwobi came off in the 76th minute.
Over at Molineux, striker Tolu Arokodare will hope to help Wolves get their first points of the season against Leeds. He made his Premier League debut last weekend in a 1-0 loss to Newcastle and almost scored, but a late tackle by Fabian Schär stopped him.
Wolves have had a terrible start to the season, losing their first four games — the worst start in the club’s 127-year history in league football. They are currently bottom of the Premier League.
Crystal Palace, on the other hand, are in good form. They are unbeaten in their last 10 matches and sit eighth in the table with six points from four games. They’ve only conceded one league goal this season, even after losing star player Eberechi Eze to Arsenal over the summer.
Palace also have a strong record at the London Stadium, staying unbeaten in their last six visits to West Ham. This includes a 2-0 win in January, where Jean-Philippe Mateta scored both goals.
Fulham will want to build on their lucky win over Leeds as they take on Brentford. This London derby could be another thrilling match. Fulham beat Brentford twice last season in the Premier League and will now aim to beat them three times in a row, something they last managed in 1928–1929.