A pivotal showdown in the Premier League relegation battle takes place at the London Stadium on Sunday as West Ham United square off with Southampton.
With no Premier League or FA Cup fixture to contend with ahead of the international break, David Moyes' men have been in cold storage since their 4-0 win over AEK Larnaca in the Europa Conference League, on a night where both of my bets copped in the capital.
As a consequence of their enforced break and results elsewhere, the Hammers relegation fears have heightened as they are now residing in the bottom three.
Back on home turf this weekend, West Ham will look to haul themselves back towards the sides above them by coming out on top in this relegation six-pointer.
As for Southampton, they have shown they are up for the scrap for survival having avoided defeat in three of their last four league games, the most recent of which saw them coming from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 against Tottenham.
While Rubén Sellés' side remain rock-bottom, the fight to stay in the Premier League is hotting up, with nine clubs separated by just four points.
Outright Betting
West Ham United, who have avoided defeat in each of their last four Premier League games at the London Stadium, head into this crunch clash as short priced 8/11 (William Hill) favourites.
13 of Southampton's 23 points in the Premier League this season have been collected on rival territory but the bookies' odds suggest they won't add to that tally here, with a Saints win trading at 17/4 (Bet 365) while the draw is also considered unlikely at 14/5 (SBK).
Betting Angles
At the best of times, West Ham are difficult to trust at odds-on prices, so I'm happy to instead side with the 21/20 (UniBet) on Both Teams Scoring here.
West Ham's woes this season can be attributed to the fact that they have failed to keep the back door shut in 21 of their 26 Premier League matches thus far, conceding at least once in 12 of their last 14 outings.
It's also worth pointing out that 14 of the last 18 top-flight teams to visit the London Stadium have made the net ripple, so Southampton will fancy their chances of following suit given that they have upped their attacking output under Rubén Sellés' watch.
As already mentioned, the men from St Mary's fired three past Spurs last time out and they also netted in a recent visit to Chelsea, so that would suggest that they can breach their opponent's defence again here.
However, the Hammers carry plenty of attacking threat of their own and they should expect to score against a Saints backline that have filed a league-low four cleans sheets in the Premier this season so far.
With that in mind, as well as the fact that BTTS banked in the reverse fixture between the pair earlier this season, backing both teams to get in on the act here stands out at 21/20 (UniBet).
I'll also jump into the To Score Or Assist market where the even-money (PaddyPower ) on West Ham's Saïd Benrahma looks enticing.
The Algerian winger – who has been one of the few shining lights for West Ham this season – has chipped in with two goals and two assists across his last five starts for the Hammers, not to mention he is also on spot kick duty, which only adds to the appeal of siding with this particular selection.
This English Premier League match between West Ham United and Southampton will be played on Apr 2, 2023 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best West Ham United vs Southampton prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
