Southampton host West Ham in a Premier League fixture on Sunday with both teams trending in opposite directions at the moment. The Hammers are slowly rediscovering their rhythm in recent weeks and will fancy their chances against their out of sorts hosts.
It has been a difficult start to the season for Southampton, who have claimed just two wins from their nine Premier League matches so far. They have been steadily sliding down the table and are now just one point above the bottom three.
The pressure appears to be mounting on manager Ralph Hassenhuttl as Southampton have lost their last four matches. They head into Sunday’s clash off the back of a 4-0 defeat to champions Manchester City in their previous Premier League fixture.
One of the problems for Southampton this season is a lack of cutting edge in attack. They have found the net just once in their last four matches while striker Che Adams’ last goal for the team was back in August.
In contrast to Southampton’s struggles in recent weeks, West Ham appear to be finally getting over their early season struggles. They are currently on a four-match winning run across all competitions.
Among the results for West Ham in recent weeks is a 3-1 victory over Fulham in their previous Premier League fixture with Gianluca Scamacca maintaining his recent scoring run. They also did the double over Belgian side Anderlecht in the Europa Conference League, claiming a 2-1 home victory on Thursday.
One problem that still persists for West Ham is their defensive vulnerability. David Moyes’ men have kept just one clean sheet in their last five Premier League matches.
How the bookies view it
West Ham have the edge among the bookies and are priced at 7/5 by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for Southampton is valued at 2/1 by Betfred, who are also offering odds of 5/2 for a draw.
Recent head to head
Southampton and West Ham have claimed two wins each and two draws from the last six meetings. However, the Saints did the double over the Hammers last season with the clash at St Mary’s ending 3-1.
Players to watch
Southampton may have struggled for goals this season but West Ham’s defensive vulnerability means they could get a few chances on Sunday. Che Adams remains their most dangerous attacker and could be backed to find the net at 13/5 with bet365.
Gianluca Scamacca is slowly finding his feet at West Ham and could be worth keeping an eye on. The striker has found the net in his last two Premier League matches and is priced at 9/4 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run.
Anything else catch the eye?
Southampton and West Ham often serve up open encounters and have produced over 3.5 goals in the last two meetings. A repeat could be on the cards at 23/10 with BoyleSports while over 2.5 goals is priced at 9/10 with BetVictor.
West Ham have opened the scoring in three of their last four matches across all competitions and could be tipped to score first on Sunday at 10/11 with Paddy Power.
This English Premier League match between Southampton and West Ham United will be played on Oct 16, 2022 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Southampton vs West Ham United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
