West Ham United host Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon and the hammers will be looking to pick up a morale-boosting win at home.
West ham are currently 18th in the league table and they are coming into this game on the back of just one win from the last six league matches. David Moyes is under tremendous pressure to get his side firing once again and West Ham cannot afford to slip up at home against their relegation rivals.
Southampton are at the bottom of the league table with just 23 points and they will be hoping to boost their survival hopes with a win here. The two teams are separated by just one point and a win here could prove to be priceless for Southampton and take them out of the bottom three provided the other results go their way.
Both teams will be desperate for survival in the top flight and this is a relegation six-pointer. Neither side can afford to drop points here and this is likely to be a crunch clash in the context of the relegation battle.
We take on the Saints at London Stadium on Sunday 🏟#WHUFC | @huboofulfilment pic.twitter.com/MqaKEdCdkj
— West Ham United (@WestHam) March 31, 2023
Team News and Tactics
West Ham United
The Hammers could be without Lukasz Fabianski and Michail Antonio who are doubtful after picking up knocks recently.
David Moyes is likely to field his side in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Alphonse Areola in goal.
Thilo Kehrer and Emerson Palmieri will be deployed as the full-backs and the two players will look to add width and creativity to the side apart from their defensive duties.
Kurt Zouma will start alongside Nayef Aguerd at the heart of the West Ham defence.
In the midfield pivot, Declan Rice will start alongside Tomas Soucek. While Rice will look to break up the opposition play and win the ball back for his side, Soucek will look to add drive and defensive cover.
In the wide areas, Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma will look to add pace and creativity to the side.
Lucas Paqueta is set to start as the central attacking midfielder behind striker Danny Ings.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Kehrer, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Ings
Southampton
The visitors have a number of injury problems and they will be without the services of Armel Bella-Kotchap, Tino Livramento, and Juan Larios.
Che Adams picked up a knock during the international break and he is set to be assessed here.
Southampton are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation as well with Gavin Bazunu in goal.
Kyle Walker-Peters and Romain Perraud will start as the full-backs and they will look to protect the central defenders and ensure that Southampton keep a compact shape and avoid counter-attacking opportunities against players like Bowen and Benrahma.
Jan Bednarek will start in the heart of the defense along with Mohammed Salisu.
In the midfield pivot, Romeo Lavia will look to break up the opposition play and dominate the midfield defensively. While James Ward-Prowse will look to add creativity from the deep.
Theo Walcott and Kamaldeen Sulemana will be deployed as the wingers here and they will look to add pace and penetration from the wide areas.
Carlos Alcaraz will start as the number ten behind striker Paul Onuachu.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Bazunu; Walker-Peters, Bella-Kotchap, Salisu, Perraud; Ward-Prowse, Lavia; Walcott, Alcaraz, Sulemana; Onuachu
Key Stats
- West Ham have scored at least 2 goals in their last 5 home matches against Southampton in all competitions.
- West Ham have won just 1 of their last 6 matches against Southampton in all competitions.
- Both teams have scored in the last 3 meetings between West Ham and Southampton.
- James Ward Prowse is Southampton’s top scorer, with seven goals in the league.
- Jarrod Bowen is West Ham’s joint top scorer this season, with four goals in the league.
Player to watch out for
Jarrod Bowen
West Ham will look to take advantage of Southampton’s defensive vulnerabilities and Jarrod Bowen has been one of their best attackers this season.
Southampton have conceded 46 goals in just 28 league matches and Bowen has the ability to cause all sorts of problems for them.
The 26-year-old West Ham star is coming into this game on the back of a brace in his last outing for the Hammers and he will look to build on that performance.
JARROD BOWEN AT THE DOUBLE!!!pic.twitter.com/PdGjDonzt4
— Football Report (@FootballReprt) March 30, 2023
Prediction
West Ham United 2-1 Southampton.
Neither side can afford to drop points here and this is likely to be a closely contested affair.
West Ham are certainly the better team on paper and they will be able to field a full-strength line up here as well.
On the other hand, Southampton will have to deal with a few injury problems and they will have to field a weakened side here.
Both teams are in relatively similar form heading into this contest and it will be difficult to separate them.
The Hard Tackle predicts a narrow 2-1 win for West Ham at home.