The Hammers have lost five games in a row without scoring a goal and have already been ousted from the UEFA Cup, with Alan Pardew's new signings making little impact.

Without a victory since the opening day of the season, West Ham is 16th in the 20-team standings and faces uncertainty off the field too.

Two rival consortiums are considering buying a club which could be sliding out of the Premier League only two seasons after its return.

A consortium led by Iranian-born businessman Kia Joorabchian, whose former company Media Sports Investment owns the contracts of Tevez and Mascherano, is reported to have put together a takeover bid for West Ham.

Now Icelandic businessman Eggert Magnusson, who is also head of his country's soccer federation and a UEFA executive committee member, is behind a proposed 75-million-pound (C$158.1 million) bid for a club which last season turned a sizable loss into a healthy profit of six million pounds (CS$12.6).

On Saturday, West Ham hopes to turn around its abysmal form when it goes to Fratton Park to face Portsmouth. Last season, Portsmouth just escaped relegation while West Ham finished ninth and reached the FA Cup final.

Now the situations are reversed.

While West Ham is just above the relegation zone, Portsmouth, which is managed by former Hammers manager Harry Redknapp, is fourth. But West Ham's Marlon Harewood says no one is blaming Tevez and Mascherano for the team's slump in form.

``They have been fantastic since they came here,'' he said. ``When they first came here they showed straight away in training what good players they are and they have fitted in really well.

``The results have not been good. But it's the way things are happening at the moment and we just have to rectify it, starting with Portsmouth this weekend. We are all in this together.''

Tevez is an injury doubt for the game. He picked up a knee problem in Argentina's 2-1 loss to Spain in a friendly on Wednesday.

``Early on, my knee hurt and I did not play 100 per cent,'' he said.

Mascherano also played in that game and reported no problems.

While West Ham and Portsmouth are in positions neither realistically expected, the top two are a lot more familiar.

Manchester United and Chelsea are tied with 16 points from seven games, two ahead of Bolton. On Saturday, the Red Devils go to Wigan (Rogers Sportsnet, 7:30 a.m. ET), which is one place above West Ham, and Chelsea visits promoted Reading (Rogers Sportsnet, 2:30 p.m. ET on tape delay), which is seventh and unbeaten in three home games.

After a slow start, Arsenal has won five games in a row, three in the league and two in the Champions League, and has climbed to eighth with a game in hand on the teams above. The Gunners will be confident of collecting three points at home to next-to-last Watford (Rogers Sportsnet, 10 a.m. ET), which is still looking for its first victory in its return to the top flight.

Liverpool, the other leading title contender, has had an erratic start and lies 10th. Rafa Benitez' team has maximum points from three home games and hopes to maintain that against ninth-place Blackburn at Anfield. But Mark Hughes' Rovers had won four games in a row, three in the league.

Arguably the top game Saturday is Aston Villa versus Tottenham.

Since Martin O'Neill arrived in early August, Villa is unbeaten in seven games with a maximum three victories at home and four draws on the road. Spurs, who finished fifth last term, have struggled so far and seek their first point away from home to lift themselves up from 14th spot.

Saturday's other games are Manchester City versus Sheffield United and Middlesbrough versus Everton (Fox Sports World Canada, 5 p.m. ET on tape delay). On Sunday, Newcastle hosts Bolton (Fox Sports World Canada, 11 a.m. ET). Last-place Charlton goes to Fulham on Monday (Fox Sports World Canada, 3 p.m. ET).

Runaway Football League Championship leader Cardiff, which has a five-point lead over second place Birmingham, has a tough game at Crystal Palace. Birmingham visits 11th-place Luton.