England Premier League
Tuesday 29th December 2020
Kick off at 6pm GMT
Venue: St Mary's Stadium
Match Preview:
All of a sudden it’s 3 matches without a win for Southampton who have at times been brilliant, but this latest form may be of concern. Those batch of games include a 1-0 defeat against Manchester City, whilst there is no shame in that, the Saints should be questioning their weekend draw with Fulham even if the Cottagers have found some form in recent weeks.
So with 2 points earned from their last 9 Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have slipped down to 9th place. The good news is that they are only 2 points from a top 4 position, so everything remains super tight at the top.
At home Southampton have won 4 from seven but lost 2 from their last three with their last victory coming against Sheffield United in a 3-0 win, one can feel that a home win is overdue.
West Ham’s form has slowed down of late with no wins since mid December when they beat Leeds. At the weekend they drew 2-2 with Brighton but it was to some extent a positive draw given that the Hammers were trailing twice in that match. David Moyes' side are in 10th place and would need a good win here to overtake the Saints. The Hammers have won 2 of their last three away games although lost their latest against Chelsea 3-0.
Team News:
Southampton: Jannick Vestergaard has been ruled out for 4 weeks due to a knee injury. Nathan Redmond is a major doubt with a muscle injury. Danny Ings could miss out with his hamstring although no update has been given.
West Ham: Michail Antonio is only 50/50 to return after his hamstring injury and will face a late test. Arthur Masuaku remains a long term injury with his knee.
Southampton vs West Ham Head to Head:
Last season West Ham won this meeting 1-0.
West Ham have won the last 5 league meetings in a row.
We have to go back to 2017 when Southampton last beat West Ham at home, with that match finishing 3-2.
There is an 80% chance to see over 2.5 goals.
Southampton vs West Ham Prediction:
Both sides come into this game needing a win just to know what it feels like but also in reality to stick with the top 8 clubs.
It would be very easy for either side to start drifting into mid table in the next couple of weeks. Southampton could be missing a few key players especially Danny Ings and they do not have a great recent record over West Ham.
Overall West Ham have been solid and not so easy to beat and they do like coming here in recent years. We expect to see an open game and Southampton have to come forward and risk gaps. This is why backing over 2.5 goals seems like a good option.
As for a winner, you get the feeling this could well end up a draw. Neither side in great form, both fairly evenly matched in terms of quality.
Southampton vs West Ham Betting Tips:
Full time result (Draw) at 3.50
Over 2.5 goals at 1.91
Both teams to score at 1.75
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