West Ham's James Collins a major doubt for Southampton clash after suffering hamstring injury

James Collins has just a small chance of being fit to play in the crucial match against Southampton next weekend.

The defender came off during the fundraising game against Dagenham and Redbridge on Wednesday after his hamstring problem flared up again. The injury has plagued him for much of the season and a scan showed he still has an issue with it. With fellow defenders Winston Reid and Sam Byram out, the setback presents West Ham boss David Moyes with a problem ahead of the clash against their relegation-threatened rivals at the London Stadium.

Collins, 34, is one of the club’s key leaders, so it would be a huge blow for them to be without him.

Meanwhile, West Ham’s match at Arsenal has been moved for the second time in less than a month.

On February 27 the Premier League announced the derby would be on April 23 as it had been selected by Sky TV for its Monday night slot. However, yesterday it was revealed the match at Emirates Stadium had been brought forward 24 hours to the Sunday because Arsenal could be in the Europa League semi-finals the following Thursday.

When the original decision was taken last month, Arsenal had yet to play their last-16 tie against AC Milan and there were still six English clubs in European competition, complicating the choices for the April 21-23 round of fixtures.

However, the move has angered some fans who had bought tickets for the Monday night game but cannot attend on the Sunday.

The switch means a busy day of sport in the capital, kicking off with the London Marathon, followed by the derby at 1.30pm and the FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Southampton at Wembley at 3pm.