Prediction: West Ham vs Brighton

Prediction: West Ham win

Best Odds: 11/8

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 fascinating teams: West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion.

West Ham

West Ham United’s season has already gone above and beyond what many had expected of them, to the point where a top half finish doesn’t seem like such a ridiculous premise now. David Moyes has a foundation he can build on and that probably hasn’t been the case since he was enjoying the glory days at Goodison Park. There’s still a long road ahead, but they almost certainly aren’t going to be dragged down into that relegation battle.

Team News

Antonio and Lanzini are the big fitness doubts here with the only confirmed injury absence as of this writing being Masuaku.

Brighton

There has been an awful lot of praise for the style of play that the Seagulls have been able to produce at times this season, but they still find themselves just two points above the relegation zone heading into the new year. Graham Potter needs to try and change things up because if he gets stuck in the mud without a win in the next few weeks, there’s a good chance that his job could be on the line by the time we enter the depths of winter.

Team News

The big issue here for Brighton is that Lamptey will be out of action for the trip up to London. Outside of the youngster, Izquierdo and Andone will both miss out through their own injuries.

Factors to Consider

• In their last meeting back in February, West Ham and Brighton played out a thrilling 3-3 draw.
• West Ham have won three, drawn one and lost two of their last six games.
• Brighton have won one, drawn three and lost two of their last six games.
• West Ham have scored seven goals and conceded nine in their last six games.
• Brighton have scored five goals and conceded eight in their last six games.

Conclusion

While Brighton have what it takes to beat a lot of teams in this league, they just seem to lack that killer instinct in front of goal that would really help them in their survival efforts. They can win this game but we think it’d take a big drop off from the Hammers in terms of their performance, and we believe they’ll be able to bounce back from their defeat to Chelsea. Therefore, we’re backing West Ham to secure all three points on Sunday.

Prediction: West Ham win

Best Odds: 11/8

Bookmaker: 888sport