Prediction: West Brom vs West Ham

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best Odds: 7/10

Bookmaker: Unibet

In what is a must-win showdown for The Hammers, West Ham will make the trip to an already relegated West Brom on Wednesday night.

West Brom

Starting with the hosts, while West Brom might have put in a hugely spirited display at home against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, The Baggies were hit with some last-gasp heartbreak. In what were shocking scenes at the Hawthorns, goalkeeper Alisson Becker eventually bagged an injury-time winner that confirmed a stunning 2-1 defeat on home soil for Sam Allardyce’s side. Despite receiving a string of praise for their gritty display in the Midlands over the weekend, it is all too little too late for the one-time England boss. With their immediate Championship return confirmed thanks to that 3-1 loss away at Arsenal last week, West Brom will at least be glad to welcome a select number of fans back to the Hawthorns in midweek. Despite marking their return from March’s international break with those thumping back-to-back wins against Chelsea and Southampton, The Baggies have largely failed to build off of those results. Including back-to-back 2-1 and 3-1 defeats against Liverpool and Arsenal, Wednesday’s hosts have failed to win any of their last five Premier League contests.

Team News

West Brom have confirmed that the duo of Branislav Ivanovic and Robert Snodgrass will miss the remainder of the season due to injury.

Settling for a place on the bench against Liverpool, Ainsley Maitland-Niles will be hoping for a recall on Wednesday night.

West Ham

As for the visitors, while West Ham might have found themselves tipped as a real leading top-four contender last month, The Hammers have really started to stall at the back end of the campaign. Watching their Champions League ambitions go up in smoke, David Moyes’ side know that they missed out on a must-win encounter over the weekend. Making the trip to a Brighton side who have nothing left to play for and a string of first-team players missing, the former Manchester United boss could only see his side muster a 1-1 draw on the South Coast. Showing some real signs of fatigue and with their European ambitions now hanging in the balance, the East London outfit have recorded just a single victory in their last five Premier League contests. Enduring what has been their most testing spell of the campaign and watching Tottenham leapfrog them to sixth spot on Sunday, Moyes will have a real headache over his side’s extended issues at the back. Wednesday’s guests have failed to record a clean sheet in any of their last nine top-flight matchups on the spin.

Team News

Scoring his first West Ham goal on Saturday night, Saïd Benrahma could replace Jarrod Bowen in attack.

Both Arthur Masuaku and Manuel Lanzini are not expected to feature for West Ham’s remaining two games this season.

Key Factors to Consider

• When the two sides faced off back in January, West Ham picked up a 2-1 victory on home soil.
• However, including a 1-1 draw against Brighton over the weekend, The Hammers have failed to win any of their last five Premier League contests.
• Likewise, suffering that last-gasp 2-1 defeat against Liverpool on Sunday, West Brom have mustered just a pair of points from their last five top-flight contests.
• West Ham have failed to record a single clean sheet in any of their last nine straight Premier League matchups.
• Six of The Baggies’ last seven Premier League fixtures have finished with over 2.5 goals.

Conclusion

While West Ham might face a real must-win showdown on Wednesday night, The Hammers should have another stern test on the road. Having to settle for a 1-1 draw against Brighton over the weekend and really struggling to keep up their momentum from earlier in the year, David Moyes’ men know that they must find some form in midweek. However, although The Baggies might have suffered that last-gasp 2-1 defeat against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, Sam Allardyce’s side might be smelling a chance when they welcome the return of fans this week. Asking the now-former champions some real questions in the Midlands last time out, we could have another lively affair on our hands. With four of the last six meetings between West Brom and West Ham finishing with both teams finding the net, we’re backing a similar outcome on Wednesday.

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best Odds: 7/10

Bookmaker: Unibet