Prediction: Southampton vs West Ham

Prediction: Southampton win

Best Odds: 6/5

Bookmaker: 888sport

Merry Christmas, football fans! This may not be the festive season that any of us would’ve anticipated this time last year, but such is the nature of the global pandemic that we’re currently in the midst of. While the news can be a depressing place right now it’s important to focus on the positives in life – and even though it may seem like a small thing, the escapism of sport can’t be undervalued. Today, we’re going to be previewing what should be an intriguing showdown between two of the Premier League’s early high-flyers: Southampton and West Ham United.

Southampton

The Ralph Hasenhuttl experiment has quickly turned into the Ralph Hasenhuttl triumph with the expectations surrounding Southampton Football Club shooting up through the roof in the last few months. Whether or not they’ll be able to take it a step further this season and push on to the top six remains to be seen, but even if they don’t, they’ve built a sensational platform for themselves that they can work with for many years to come.

Team News

Romeu is set to return from suspension to feature here but there are still three very notable absentees for the home side: Ings, Vestergaard and Redmond, all of whom are integral to this team.

West Ham

West Ham United were tipped to go down at the start of the season by many critics, but David Moyes has refused to lie down and allow that to happen. They currently sit in the top half of the table and as we move forward, it looks unlikely that they’ll be dragged back into the relegation battle. We can’t say that for certain but they are 11 points above the bottom three heading into the new year, and their tenacity knows no limits.

Team News

Antonio is still a doubt for the visitors which could harm their ability to make things happen going forward with their only other absent player being Masuaku who is still working his way back from an injury.

Factors to Consider

• In their last meeting back in February, West Ham beat Southampton 3-1.
• Southampton have won two, drawn two and lost two of their last six games.
• West Ham have won two, drawn two and lost two of their last six games.
• Southampton have scored eight goals and conceded six in their last six games.
• West Ham have scored eight goals and conceded 11 in their last six games.

Conclusion

These two sides are pretty close to one another in terms of both ability and their position in the Premier League table, and we feel as if that’s going to translate into a really entertaining game. West Ham have a few game winners that can pop up when least expected to do so, but on the flip side, Southampton are an organised unit who are really hard to beat. This one could quite literally go either way but we’re backing the Saints to narrowly edge out a 2-1 win.

Prediction: Southampton win

Best Odds: 6/5

Bookmaker: 888sport