West Ham hosts Watford in a battle of teams at the bottom of the English Premier League team standings. Game time is at 3:00 PM EST and the match will be aired live via NBCSN.
Both West Ham and Watford are outside the relegation zone and a loss by either would put them in danger. The Hammers are currently in 16th place with a total of 34 points earned and are three points above the relegation zone. Aside from their three-point lead, West Ham also has the head-to-head advantage against Watford who is at 17th place. As for Watford, wins at Vicarage Road against Norwich City and Newcastle have helped keep them ahead of Bournemouth and Aston Villa. But with tough assignments in their last two games on schedule, they need to take points here too.
West Ham picked up their second win in four games to improve their chances of survival and they head to this contest in good form with seven points taken from their last 12 available. Their fate is in their hands as they have home matches against Watford and Aston Villa. The hosts have dropped two of their matches at London Stadium since the restart of the season but their win over Chelsea two weeks ago should give them enough confidence in this contest.
West Ham’s last assignment was against relegated Norwich City and they walked away with an easy 4-0 win. Michail Antonio slotted two goals in the first half and added another pair in the second half for a spectacular four-goal performance. With all the other relegation teams winning, the victory was a huge one for the Hammers who are 2-1-3 since the season resumed.
Michail Antonio leads West Ham with a total of eight goals scored this season. Sebastian Haller has found the back of the net seven times while Robert Snodgrass has netted five times. Pablo Fornals leads the team with five assists and two goals while Felipe Anderson has four assists and one goal.
West Ham is 10th in the Premier League in scoring with a total of 44 goals scored this term. The Hammers are 17th in defense with a total of 59 goals this season. They are tied for 7th with a total of 33 assists on the term. West Ham’s goal difference of -15 is ranked 13th overall in the league.
Nigel Pearson has brought the Hornets back to life since his arrival in December. However, their dramatic win over Liverpool came just before the coronavirus break and it halted their momentum. Watford resumed their season with a 1-1 draw against Leicester City at home and they followed that up with three straight losses. But the Hornets have won back to back games in less than a week to spring back to the Premier League picture.
In their last assignment, Watford hosted a badly depleted Newcastle team and took advantage with a 2-1 win. Dwight Gayle put Newcastle up in the 23rd minute but two second-half penalties by Troy Deeney gave Watford three important points. Watford is now 2-1-3 in six games since the Premier League restarted.
Troy Deeney leads the Hornets with a total of eight goals scored on the year. Ismaila Sarr has found the back of the net five times while Abdoulaye Doucoure has netted four times for Watford. Gerard Deulofeu leads the team with five assists while also scoring four goals while Etienne Capoue and Sarr have three assists apiece.
The Hornets are ranked 15th in the league in goals conceded at 54 this term. They are 18th in goal scoring with a total of 33 this season. Watford is also ranked 18th in passing with a total of 20 assists on the year. They are 17th in England when it comes to goal difference at -21 goals.
These teams have played each other in 47 total head to head matches. West Ham holds a commanding 28-7-12 edge over Watford. The Hammers also won the reverse fixture 3-1 in August 2019. However, they are the third-worst home club in the Premier League with a record of 5-2-10 with a total of 18 points earned from their home matches. On the other hand, Watford is also the third-worst road club in England with a record of 2-4-11 and a total of 10 points earned away from home.
For West Ham, Felipe Anderson is out of this match with a thigh injury while Robert Snodgrass is doubtful with a knock injury. On the side of Watford, Isaac Success, Gerard Deulofeu, and Daryl Janmaat are all out due to injury. Troy Deeney is doubtful with a knee injury while Craig Dawson is out due to suspension.
The Hammers and Hornets hope that before this game starts, Aston Villa and Bournemouth will have lost to Everton and Manchester City, respectively as more points earned by these two bottom teams will put more pressure on them.
West Ham has won only five home games this season but two have come in their last four. On the other hand, Watford has dropped their last four away contests, failing to score in those games while allowing an aggregate of eight goals during that period. The Hornets play Manchester City and Arsenal after this match so it’s going to be tough if they drop points here.
A win for either side would be huge for their cause and if Aston Villa and Bournemouth don’t win their mid-week assignment, survival is almost guaranteed for the victor here. With so much on the line here, I expect a big effort from both squads. Watford has struggled in their road games and they haven’t scored in their last four away matches. I think they will score here but not enough to outscore West Ham. I’m going to bet on the home team here.
Prediction: West Ham (+142)
West Ham has been without a clean sheet in a total of eight home matches since New Year’s day 2020. In the six games that Watford has played since the resumption of the Premier League season, both teams have scored goals. Likewise, 10 out of West Ham’s last 17 league matches have seen both teams score goals. Both these teams can’t afford any mistakes in this important game. I like both teams to score goals here.
Prediction: Yes (-135)
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