ROY HODGSON has swapped the pipe and slippers for a relegation dogfight with Watford and takes his side to West Ham United knowing a win would lift them out of the Premier League drop zone.
The 74-year-old has a good track record when it comes to great escapes but many people have questioned the wisdom of taking a role that offers even less job security than 10 Downing Street at the moment.
Hodgson began his reign with a 0-0 draw at Burnley that was so hard on the eye it could have made the reel for the Ludovico Technique in A Clockwork Orange. It was certainly a painful watch for Slips Tips as he came up just one yellow card short in his latest bet builder.
But a first clean sheet since August offers hope the former England boss can solve Watford's defensive problems and it will be interesting to see how they cope against the high-flying Hammers.
David Moyes' men avoided suffering one of the greatest FA Cup shocks ever when Declan Rice equalised against Kidderminster Harriers deep into added time at the weekend.
Leaving key men on the bench almost backfired spectacularly but West Ham somehow ground out a 2-1 win and will be close to full strength for this one.
Defeats to Leeds United and Manchester United in their last two games have damaged hopes of a top-four finish so it's imperative the Hammers get back on track with a win here.
How the bookies view it
Watford are as big as 7/1 with Coral and the draw looks a bit overpriced at 4/1 with Unibet given Hodgson might park the bus. West Ham United's best price is a measly 5/11 with SBK.
Recent head to head
West Ham United have dominated Watford in the last couple of seasons, winning four games in a row and scoring three or more in each of those games.
They won 4-1 at Vicarage Road earlier this season (below) and both meetings last term ended in 3-1 victories. But the Hornets claimed a 2-0 triumph at the London Stadium in 2018 and also won 4-2 there in 2016.
Players to watch
Jarrod Bowen has stolen the spotlight from Michail Antonio in recent weeks and now looks like West Ham's main man up front. He has five goals from his last five games and is 15/8 at BetVictor to add another here. Bowen has also chipped in with plenty of assists and is 2/1 at McBookie for another here.
Josh King and Joao Pedro started in attack for Hodgson's first game with top scorer Emmanuel Dennis suspended. Dennis should come straight back in and looks Watford's best bet for a goal at 4/1 with QuinnBet.
Anything else catch the eye?
This fixture has produced plenty of goals with BTTS and over 3.5 goals coming up in the last four meetings. But I'd expect this match to be different now Hodgson is at the Watford helm. His success has been based on organisation at the back so I'm going for under 2.5 goals at 13/10 with Bet365.
If West Ham fail to get an early goal it could be a long night and they struggled to break down Kidderminster's defence at the weekend. That makes the half-time draw another appealing option at 19/12 with SBK.
This English Premier League match between West Ham United and Watford will be played on Feb 8, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best West Ham United vs Watford prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
