Both Burnley and West Ham will have hoped for gentler assignments on their respective returns to the Championship than this.

There is pressure on each club to get back into the Premier League at the first time of asking this season and Nicky Hayen and Nuno Espirito Santo will be eager to produce a real statement of intent at the earliest opportunity.

West Ham endured something of a slow start to the summer both in terms of pre-season results and their incoming transfer business, though they are picking up pace on both fronts after coming from behind to defeat second-tier rivals Portsmouth 3-1 at home in the first round of the Carabao Cup.

Burnley, meanwhile, flattered to deceive at home to Notts County - who were three divisions below them last season - needing Zian Flemming’s equaliser and a decisive shootout penalty from Kyle Walker to spare their blushes in Hayen’s first competitive match in charge as the permanent successor to Scott Parker.

We expect a tight and cagey opening day affair here that will end all square.

Draw, 1-1.

Arne Engels yesterday completed his move from Celtic to West Ham that broke the record for the most expensive signing in Championship history at potentially £25m, but the Belgian midfielder won’t be available for his own swift debut at Turf Moor today.

Fellow new recruits Manor Solomon and Joel Veltman are available, though Nuno Espirito Santo is missing experienced midfielder Tomas Soucek as he works his way back from an ankle ligament injury suffered at the World Cup with the Czech Republic earlier this summer.

Also out for West Ham today is Keiber Lamadrid, who sustained a knee issue in the pre-season friendly clash with FC Magdeburg in Germany a fortnight ago.

The problem was expected to keep him out for around three weeks, with Lamadrid now a full-time Hammers player after his loan from Deportivo La Guaira in Venezuela was converted into a permanent transfer for a fee of £1m.

Burnley completed the loan signing of new Chelsea youngster Dastan Satpayev on Friday, though it remains to be seen if the highly-rated young Kazakh forward, who turned 18 last week, will be pushing for a quick debut this afternoon.

New Clarets boss Nicky Hayen is not believed to be dealing with any fresh injury concerns after needing a penalty shootout to avoid a Carabao Cup first-round shock at home to third-tier new boys Notts County last weekend.

Jordan Beyer, Josh Cullen, Enock Agyei and Jaydon Banel are all still out, while Ashley Barnes is not fit enough to be involved yet after returning to the club last month on a one-year deal.

Burnley vs West Ham will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with coverage starting on both channels at 4pm BST - after the conclusion of Watford vs Southampton at Vicarage Road.

Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also watch the match live online via the Sky Go app.

Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s live coverage of Burnley vs West Ham on a busy opening weekend of the new Championship season.

The Hammers begin their first second-tier campaign for some 14 years against familiar opponents who were also relegated from the Premier League last term, with both clubs hoping to bounce straight back at the first time of asking.

Both of these sides got 2026/27 under way with first-round victories in the Carabao Cup last weekend and will be hoping to make a statement against likely promotion rivals this afternoon.

Kick-off at Turf Moor is at 4pm BST, so stay with us for all your match build-up, team news and live game updates.