WEST HAM UNITED will be looking to make it back-to-back wins in Europa Conference League Group B when they square off with Silkeborg at JYSK Park on Thursday night.
After enjoying a memorable run to last season's Europa League semi-finals, the Hammers have had to settle for a stint in Europe's third tier competition this term.
David Moyes' men overturned a first-half deficit to beat FCSB 3-1 in their section opener last Thursday, on a night where my main London Stadium selection landed.
Following the postponement of all Premier League matches last weekend, West Ham have had a week to prepare for their trip to Scandinavia.
While their eventual defeat was tough to take, Silkeborg more than held their own in a 1-0 loss at Anderlecht on Matchday One.
That being said, another defeat on Thursday night at the hands of West Ham could leave the Dane's qualification hopes hanging by a thread with four rounds of fixtures left to play.
Outright Betting
Silkeborg warmed up for this clash with a 1-0 win over AGF but the same outcome here is an unfancied 5/1 (Boylesports) while a point apiece at JYSK Park pays 3/1 (PaddyPower).
West Ham, who have already won on Danish soil this season, are short-priced 3/5 favourites to repeat the trick on Thursday night.
Betting Angles
With a trip to Everton lying in wait in the Premier League on Sunday, it is difficult to gauge just how strong a team David Moyes will field on Thursday night.
Having said that, the Hammers chief has significant strength in depth to his squad now, with the capital clubs' transfer outlay over the summer reportedly breaking the £200 million barrier.
As such, and was the case last Thursday, the visitors can once again afford to make changes to the starting XI without dramatically weakening their side.
Silkeborg, on the other hand, will certainly take some positives away from last week's battling display in Belgium, and they should be able to keep this contest competitive in front of their own supporters.
However, it would be fair to say that West Ham are probably a further step-up in class and I suspect they will ultimately have too much class for their Danish opponents.
Nonetheless, the visitors have bigger fish to fry so they will most likely look to safely negotiate this assignment with minimum fuss, so with all things considered, merging a West Ham win and under five goals makes appeal at 20/21 (Bet 365).
Each of West Ham's four Europa League group stage wins last year generated under five match strikes, while Silkeborg's four defeats across all competitions this term to date featured three match goals or fewer.
With all this in mind, coupling up a West Ham victory alongside under five goals in the game at 20/21 (Bet 365) seems the most sensible play at JYSK Park
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between Silkeborg and West Ham United will be played on Sep 15, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Silkeborg vs West Ham United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
