West Ham United Vs Brighton Hove & Albion
Saturday 1st February 2020 – 15:00 Kick-Off
English Premier League
Pick: Draw
Odds: 23/10
Bookmaker: Betfair
(All betting odds displayed were correct at time of writing: 29th January 2020 at 11:45)
Preview: Both have slipped precariously towards the Premier League danger zone following alarming dips in form, making this a critical encounter at the wrong end of the table between West Ham and Brighton at London Stadium.
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Table of Contents
West Ham Preview – Hammers displaying form of a relegation outfit?
If bookmakers once again offer various odds on deadline day specials, then West Ham (17th – W6 D5 L13) completing the most number of deals has to be worth a punt. The club fear demotion back to The Championship more than anything, are currently kept out of the Premier League relegation zone on goal difference alone and the team itself looks devoid of any any belief or confidence. Heck, even relegation at 7/4 (BetVictor) is conceivable unless there is some miraculous turnaround.
The man tasked with revitalising their fortunes is David Moyes. He did it once before of course, steering the club to safety in the second half of the 2017/18 season. However, there is arguably more at stake this time around, especially with the club having recently made sizeable investments in the playing squad through acquisitions such as Felipe Anderson, Pablo Fornals and Sebastien Haller – all of whom have so far underwhelmed during their brief spell in East London.
Only one of this aforementioned group featured from the start in Wednesday’s routine 2-0 loss at home to Liverpool. Moyes claimed his side didn’t take their chances, which was partly true seeing as they did blank, although their opponents created a lot more and could have won at a canter. West Ham have now lost four of their last five matches when including the pitiful performance in the FA Cup to West Brom when losing 1-0 at home. Just two goals were scored across this dismal sequence, meanwhile.
Brighton Preview – Faith in Potter misplaced amidst slide in form?
Deciding to hand an already new manager an improved deal in November, less than six months after assuming the role, seemed a strange move even if the team were performing reasonably well at the time. Since then, the form of Brighton (15th – W6 D7 L11) has deteriorated sharply. Particularly of late, however. The club are 15th in the Premier League table, two points clear of the relegation places following a bleak winter in which only one win was registered across the previous nine such games (W1 D4 L4).
Factor in early elimination from the FA Cup to Sheffield Wednesday, losing 1-0 at home to a team from the league below, and the jury is out as to whether much progress is genuinely being made at the South Coast establishment. Some will point towards a better brand of football on the pitch. Across their last eight league games however, less than a goal per game was averaged (7 in total). Furthermore, only five teams have managed fewer than their overall total of 27 strikes this season.
Manager Graham Potter could, therefore, be a man feeling the strain ahead of another hugely important fixture this coming weekend. Especially after recently losing a similar relegation-type encounter when going down 3-1 at Bournemouth last time out, losing convincingly to a side that had failed to score in four consecutive league games prior. More alarming, however, is the fact Brighton have now claimed only five of the last 33 points on offer away from home (W1 D2 L8).
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Betting Summary
The drift towards the Premier League relegation zone is already well in motion for both these teams. West Ham‘s pitiful performance in the FA Cup last week was compounded further by a 2-0 loss at home to Liverpool in the league, meaning it is five defeats in the last seven league games and only one win at home in nine (W1 D2 L6). As for Brighton, The Seagulls are four league fixtures without a win (D2 L2) having secured victory once in their previous eleven on the road (W1 D2 L8).
West Ham Vs Brighton – Key Facts:
- Neither side are in positive form, with West Ham winning one of the last seven league games (W1 D1 L5) and Brighton one of the last nine (W1 D4 L4) – both victories were against Bournemouth.
- Goals have also been scarce. Across their last four league contests West Ham netted just two times while Brighton only managed one better.
- Brighton remain unbeaten in the Premier League versus West Ham, winning three and drawing twice. Last season’s London Stadium encounter finished 2-2.
Winning games simply isn’t coming naturally to either side at the moment. So odds about a drawn encounter – as was the case in this same fixture at the London Stadium last season – boasts obvious appeal. Particularly with neither in any sort of scoring form: West Ham netting two in their last four league contests while Brighton only managed one better during the same number of games. Draw & Under 2.5 Goals is 10/3 with Boylesports.
Best Betting Odds for West Ham Vs Brighton
West Ham – 8/5 Unibet
Draw – 49/20 Unibet
Brighton – 9/5 Betfair
