Premier League preview and odds: West Ham United vs Southampton

Premier League preview and odds: West Ham United vs Southampton

September 25 , 2016 16:00pm - London Stadium

Premier League

West Ham United will look to haul themselves out of an early season slump that has left them stranded in the bottom three when they host fellow slow starters Southampton at the London Stadium on Sunday.

Homesick Hammers yet to settle

While there may be other reasons for West Ham`s apparent decline this season, the upheaval caused by moving to their new stadium certainly seems to have had an effect.

The Hammers have just a single Premier League win to their name this season and have already been dumped out of Europe by Romanian side Astra. A League Cup win over lowly Accrington Stanley in midweek will have brought little reward to frustrated fans who expected their side to build on last year`s impressive campaign.

When looking for positives, it should be noted that the Londoners have scored in every Premier League match they have played. Their total of seven successful strikes puts them on par with the teams in mid-table. Unfortunately, at the other end of the pitch, the Irons have already shipped 13 goals this season, the second-worst record in the league behind Stoke City.

Meanwhile, opponents Southampton have also had a poor start but seem to be finding some traction under new boss Claude Puel. The South Coast team have the fourth-best defensive record in the league - however, only Burnley have scored less goals. If they can increase their goal ratio by a fraction without compromising their defence, they should climb up the table fairly rapidly.

The Saints come into this game on the back of three-straight home wins in the Europa League (Sparta Praha), Premier League (Swansea City) and League Cup (Crystal Palace). As a result, they should be arriving in London full of confidence.

Team news

Another mitigating factor in West Ham`s shaky start will be injuries, with several players still out of action including Arthur Masuaka, Diafra Sakho, Winston Reid, Andy Carroll, Aaron Cresswell and Andre Ayew.

Meanwhile, the visitors will be without the services of Jay Rodriguez, Sofiane Boufal and Jermey Pied.

Recent form (League)

West Ham United: LLLWL

Southampton: WLDLD

Betting odds and tips

Southampton will be buoyed by a trio of consecutive victories on three fronts but still need to find the scoring touch in the league. They may just find it against the league’s second-worst defence.

You can back the Away Win at 29/10 with Bet365.

By Neil Morris

Go To bet365

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25/09/2016     © Frixo 2024