West Ham United vs Brighton and Hove Albion
English Premier League. Kick-off: 7.45pm, Wednesday 2nd January.
WEST HAM would have bust a few weekend coupons when they crashed to a surprise 2-0 defeat at struggling Burnley on Sunday.
Having bounced back from a 2-0 loss to Watford with an excellent 2-1 win at Southampton, it came as something of a shock to see them so comfortably defeated by a Burnley side with fragile confidence.
Now the Hammers will be looking to make amends with a win on home soil against a dangerous Brighton side who head to London on the back of a superb home win over Everton.
That victory ended a four-game run without a win but the bookies don't expect them to follow it up with another as 888 Sport have the Seagulls as 3/1 outsiders.
That's probably fair against a West Ham side that chalked up wins over Cardiff and Crystal Palace at the London Stadium before that slip-up against Watford.
Manuel Pellegrini's side are 10/11 for the win with 888 Sport and you can increase the odds to 47/20 by doubling it with a clean sheet, which I like the look of.
Brighton haven't been prolific on the road, drawing blanks on their last two away days at Burnley and Bournemouth. They could fire blanks again and 888 Sport offer a tempting 17/10 on Brighton failing to find the net.
After coming off the bench in the last two games, I've a feeling Andy Carroll might get the nod to start up front for the Hammers. The big man is always a nuisance so could be a good option at either 9/2 for first scorer or 33/20 to net at any time with 888 Sport.
Creative spark Felipe Anderson is also always worth a wee punt for West Ham and looks good value at 39/20 for anytime scorer.
Recommended bets
- West Ham to win with a clean sheet 47/20 (888 Sport)
- Brighton not to score 17/10 (888 Sport)
- Andy Carroll anytime scorer 33/20 (888 Sport)
I'm a sports journalist, football tipster and author from Dundee, who is now working in Glasgow. I've covered games at every level, from Junior football to internationals, and still love football even though it has clearly sold its soul. I've been in football tipping since 2018 with the MFT site.
