Only hard-core West Ham fans expected their team to be above Arsenal five games into the Premier League season.
The Hammers have beaten the Gunners only once in 18 meetings in the last 10 years, but Alan Pardew's sixth-place team is one spot and one point above Arsene Wenger's side in the standings. The gap will stretch to four points if the Hammers beat the Gunners at Upton Park today.
Three victories in a row, including Tuesday's 4-2 League Cup win at League One Sheffield Wednesday, have boosted West Ham's confidence. Now Pardew's team faces an Arsenal side still struggling to cope without the departed Patrick Vieira and with Thierry Henry out injured.
PHOTO: EPA
By contrast, Pardew, whose team was promoted through the League Championship playoffs last season, has plenty of options.
After scoring twice against Sheffield Wednesday, striker Bobby Zamora hopes to start against the Gunners and force Pardew to leave out either veteran striker Teddy Sheringham or Marlon Harewood.
"The manager has said the team that has been playing is the team that will probably face Arsenal," said Zamora, whose goal in the playoffs ensured West Ham's promotion. "It is tough being in and out of the team. But I made the role my own last season of coming off the bench and scoring one or two important goals."
loads of ammunition
Zamora, who moved to West Ham after spells with Brighton and Tottenham, said that, even without Vieira, who now plays in Italy for Juventus, and the injured Henry, who is out for several weeks with a groin injury, Arsenal has plenty of talent.
"They are a great team and it is going to be tough," he said. "But we are on a run of good form and haven't been scared of anybody. We will show them respect, but if there are challenges to be won, we will go in wholehearted.
"We have played a lot of good teams this year and beaten a few of them. If we lose to Arsenal, we will be gutted, but are we going to be down the bottom as a result? No."
Having lost its two away games at Chelsea and Middlesbrough, Arsenal is already nine points behind defending champion Chelsea, which has started with six shutout victories and a maximum 18 points.
Because Chelsea already has a six-point advantage, critics are saying the title race is over almost as soon as it began. But Chelsea still has to play both Manchester United and Liverpool twice and visit Arsenal.
Jose Mourinho's team hopes to make it seven wins in a row by beating Aston Villa today, which was outplayed 4-0 by West Ham 10 days ago and was held 0-0 at home by Tottenham.
David O'Leary's team then had an amazing League Cup result at League Two Wycombe, winning 8-3 after trailing 3-1 at halftime.
charlton rebound
Second-place Charlton, which lost its perfect start by losing 2-0 at home to Chelsea last Saturday, hopes to rebound by winning at struggling West Bromwich Albion. Addicks fans will recall the last time they faced the Baggies, however, when Bryan Robson's West Brom won 4-1 at The Valley on the way to an amazing relegation escape.
Third-place Manchester United, unbeaten in five games, hopes to improve on two ties in a row by beating Blackburn Rovers at home.
Saturday's other games are Birmingham versus Liverpool; Bolton versus Portsmouth; Everton versus Wigan; Newcastle versus Manchester City. Tomorrow, Middlesbrough hosts Sunderland and, on Monday, Tottenham welcomes Fulham.
Four points ahead in the League Championship and chasing a return to the Premier League for the first time since 1994, Sheffield United has a tricky home game against ninth-place Derby, which has lost just one of its nine outings but tied six games.
Second-place Reading visits Norwich, which rebounded from an awful start by winning at neighbor Ipswich last Sunday.
Bayern Munich's record of 15 straight Bundesliga wins may get its toughest test yet Saturday when the league leader and defending champion plays at second-place Hamburg SV.
Hamburg's players are on a high after beating Stuttgart 2-1 on Wednesday. The win kept the northern team unbeaten in 16 matches this season, including Intertoto and German Cup games, and set up the showdown with Bayern, which is four points ahead in the table.
"We're developing great," said coach Thomas Doll.
"It's just wonderful to see how the players believed in themselves to the last minute.''
Hamburg's players may even feel luck is on their side after a wild deflection gave David Jarolim an 87th-minute deflected goal against Stuttgart.
"That ball looked like a wild bird -- that was luck," Stuttgart's Andreas Henkel said.
However, Bayern's Michael Ballack will return from an ankle injury. Although Bayern had three straight 1-0 wins without its captain, with him, the champion thrashed its first four Bundesliga opponents by a combined score of 13-3.
"Whatever the media and the fans make out of the Bayern match, for us it is the same as if we played Frankfurt," Hamburg forward Sergei Barbarez said. "You can't say how good we are after just six rounds."
bored fans
Many in Germany would like to see a rival emerge for Bayern to avoid a title runaway.
"That's nonsense, I don't think we're threatened with a boring season," Bayern coach Felix Magath said. "It's long and it will get tough for us."
Bayern could match its own record, accomplished twice, with a seventh straight win to open the season.
Magath should remember Hamburg's last title in 1982-1983. He was the team's star.
Third-placed Bremen, already five points behind the Bayern, will face a tough match Saturday against fifth-placed Bayer Leverkusen. Stuttgart will try to rebound the next day against Kaiserslautern as pressure mounts on coach Giovanni Trapattoni.
Stuttgart's management said its sad the euphoria generated in the city by signing one of the world's most successful coaches has dissipated with a 1-3-2 record and 12th place.
The 66-year-old Italian defended himself against charges he isn't the right man to lead the German team.
"We fit together, but there's always difficulties," he told Kicker magazine.
"But you also have to realize, a man and woman love each other, but can still separate."
Jonathan Woodgate scored an own goal and was ejected in an unhappy first start for Real Madrid although his team rallied to beat Athletic Bilbao 3-1 in a Spanish league match on Thursday.
The central defender, who has recently recovered from a 17-month injury absence, deflected Bilbao forward Joseba Etxeberria's long shot with a diving header to open the scoring in the 25th minute of the fourth-round game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Woodgate received his first yellow card for a late tackle on midfielder Carlos Gurpegi just before the interval and received his marching orders in the 66th for obstructing Etxeberria.
Madrid battled back in the second half through Brazilian forward Robinho's first goal for the club and two more by captain Raul Gonzalez.
Madrid's victory eased the pressure on coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo, whose team had lost two of its opening three league games and also crashed 3-0 against Lyon in the Champions League last week.
Madrid rose to fifth place with six points, while Bilbao dropped to 15th with four.
With defenders Sergio Ramos and Ivan Helguera suspended and injured respectively, Woodgate was named for his first full match since he injured his left thigh while playing for Newcastle against Chelsea in April 2004. He joined Madrid the following August.
Madrid, also lacking the injured Zinedine Zidane and suspended Julio Baptista, almost opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Robinho's low long shot bounced off goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia's left post.
own goal
But Woodgate's own goal appeared to deflate Madrid and Bilbao midfielder Roberto "Tiko" Martinez came close to adding to his team's lead on three occasions.
Robinho, making his fourth appearance since his move from Santos, calmed Madrid's nerves by leveling with a 53rd-minute header from an inswinging David Beckham free kick.
Raul then struck in the 65th from a Ronaldo pass across goal following a swift counterattack.
Three minutes after Woodgate's dismissal, the Spain striker scored again with a near-post header from Beckham's corner.
A German brewery has promised to pour 10,000 liters of free beer for fans of the first Bundesliga team to beat Bayern Munich.
Bayern is unbeaten this season and riding a league record 15-match winning streak. Some fear the club will run away with the title for the second straight year.
"Both us and the fans want some suspense in the season," Bitburger spokesman Dietmar Henle. "We hope this will encourage the fans to cheer on their team even more. Nothing against Bayern, but there must be some excitement."
Bitburger will up the offer by 1,000 liters every time Bayern doesn't lose. The brewery also sponsors a popular TV sports highlights show. Fans of Hamburg will get the first crack at the big beer blast today.
Their second-placed team is four points behind Bayern and boasts a 16-match unbeaten streak of its own.
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