The stars may well be aligning for West Ham’s Premier League survival hopes after Crystal Palace were hit by a major double injury blow.

The Hammers go to Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Monday night knowing a win will keep them out of the relegation zone heading into the final five games.

West Ham climbed out of the bottom three last weekend after a 4-0 win over Wolves, pushing rivals Spurs into it.

Leeds are sitting on the cusp of safety after a famous win at Man United and could move on to 39 points if they beat Wolves this weekend.

West Ham survival boost as star Palace duo forced off injured

Nottingham Forest take on Burnley, meaning they are likely to end the weekend on 36 points.

Spurs will overtake West Ham if they beat the league’s in-form team Brighton at home on Saturday.

Who makes YOUR West Ham and Crystal Palace combined XI?

⚒️ 🆚 🦅

If Tottenham fail to win then they will remain below the Hammers, so it remains to be seen what kind of pressure and incentives are on the table for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side at Selhurst Park.

Given what is at stake with Premier League survival, West Ham will take any potential marginal gains at this late stage.

And there has been some encouraging news from Crystal Palace’s European exploits in Italy.

West Ham have had their survival hopes boosted as two top Crystal Palace stars suffer injuries.

Adam Wharton is arguably one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, let alone at Palace.

And Eagles defender Maxence Lacroix is one of the league’s leading centre-backs.

So West Ham will be unashamedly encouraged by the fact both players were forced off with injuries in the first half of Palace’s Conference League quarter-final second leg clash at Fiorentina.

Wharton and Lacroix major doubts to face West Ham

West Ham famously beat Fiorentina in the final of the same competition three years ago.

Palace were on course for the semi-finals after putting themselves in the driving seat with a 3-0 victory in the first leg at Selhurst.

Where does Lanzini rank among West Ham’s BEST modern-day midfielders? 🇦🇷

But the second leg has come at a heavy cost for Oliver Glasner’s side with the loss of both Wharton and Lacroix.

It remains to be seen whether either will be fit enough to be risked given Palace are safe from the threat of relegation but have a European semi-final to plan for the following week.

There could be even more positive news for the Hammers after Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta was withdrawn at half-time.

It is unclear whether that was due to injury – but if he has picked up a knock then he too may not be risked against West Ham with a European semi-final on the horizon.

On the flip side, West Ham have a completely clean bill of health with a fully fit squad heading into Monday’s crunch match with Palace.

The Hammers actually have an excellent record at Palace in recent years, losing just three times in the last 11 visits, winning six and drawing two, including a 2-0 victory last season.

Should West Ham pick up three points they will move on to 35 points with five games to go.

Internally, West Ham believe two wins and two draws – or three wins – will guarantee safety in the final six matches.

Nottingham Forest also saw several key players withdrawn due to injury during their Europa League clash with Porto – including Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White.