After winning three matches in a row in December, Hammers fans hoped Slaven Bilic had finally turned around West Ham's season and that they may go on an extended run of good form.Three consecutive losses in the wake of that put those hopes on the backburner, though, and now West Ham are again in desperate need of a victory to ensure they don't slip into a relegation fight.Palace, their upcoming opponents, themselves could do with a win. Still adjusting to life under new boss Sam Allardyce, a win would kick-start his reign and give them renewed hope that they can put daylight between themselves and the bottom three places. The Eagles are currently just one point above 18th placed Sunderland.With a lot at stake then, it's all set to be a cracker of an afternoon at the London Stadium. Who can come out on top and what do the stats tell us heading into the fixture?Here are THREE stats you need to know ahead of Saturday's game...
Palace have an unusually strong attack
Despite hovering just above the relegation zone, Crystal Palace do have one thing going for them: goals. No team outside of this season's stellar top six have scored more than them (30) in the Premier League this season.
Record signing Christian Benteke leads the way in the scoring charts with eight Premier League goals, with James McCarthur on five goals Zaha on four.
That's something West Ham will need to be wary of, especially considering the Hammers' defence hasn't exactly been watertight, conceding a massive 35 Premier League goals so far this term.
Payet is still a potent creative force
Dimitri Payet may not be having as good a season as last year, but the Frenchman is still West Ham's most creative force by far. Not only that but he's also one of the most creative players in the entire Premier League, making more chances than the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Eriksen and Alexis Sanchez, as this stat from Squawka shows.
Payet is the man most likely to make something happen against Crystal Palace on Saturday. The three-game winning streak the Irons went on in December was in no small part due to Payet finding a rich vein of form, putting in Man of the Match performances against Burnley and Hull before notching an assist in the 4-1 win away to Swansea.
Can he be the player West Ham fans know he can be on Saturday?
Crystal Palace ship goals on the road
If the Eagles are to survive in the Premier League this season then they need to start turning around their away form. They aren't just losing on the road, though, their defence are barely putting up a fight.
Highlighting that is this stat:Â Crystal Palace have conceded at least two goals in five of their last six away matches in the Premier League.
That's a terrible disadvantage as a default and something which Allardyce needs to address or risks seeing his side remain in massive danger at the bottom of the table.