West Ham Vs Norwich City
West Ham Vs Norwich City Saturday, 18 December 2021 – 15:00 (GMT)
English Premier League
Pick: West Ham WIN & Both Teams To Score
Odds: 9/4
Bookmaker: Betfair
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 16 December 2021)
Preview: Form is at a premium coming into Saturday’s 3 o’clock kick-off at the London Stadium, with neither fifth-placed West Ham or the Premier League’s bottom side, Norwich City, producing more than a solitary victory across their past six matches in the competition.
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Table of Contents
West Ham – Hammers toiling without Antonio’s input?
David Moyes provided a very frank appraisal of his team’s performance in Wednesday night’s 2-0 loss away to Arsenal. ‘We have to be better’ was the call from the manager, who has seen his players relinquish fourth spot in the Premier League on account of their recent poor form. That is now one win from the last six league games (D2 L3) and they begin the weekend a point shy of the Champions League places.
Unfortunately, it was always likely to be an uphill task at the Emirates – a ground neither the Hammers nor their manager particularly enjoy visiting. There can be no such excuses on Saturday, however, when they host the division’s bottom side Norwich. West Ham won both league meetings last season by a combined score of 6-0, with Michail Antonio starring in the away encounter as he scored all four goals.
Obviously this fixture isn’t at Carrow Road, but how Moyes could do with his leading scorer this season, with six league goals, rediscovering his scoring touch. Antonio last scored in the Premier League in the 1-0 win over Tottenham here at London Stadium on 24 October, nine league games ago. His team, having failed to score collectively in three of the last six top-flight matches, are undoubtedly suffering.
Norwich City – Honeymoon period already over for Smith?
The arrival of former Aston Villa boss Dean Smith paid instant dividends for the Canaries, who subsequently picked up as many points (5) from his first three matches at the helm – the first of those a 2-1 win at home to Southampton – as his predecessor managed across the opening eleven games of this season. Yet Smith suddenly finds himself in familiar territory to that of the man he replaced on 6 November.
Tuesday’s 2-0 loss at Carrow Road to Smith’s former side was the third encounter in a as many games that Norwich came away from empty-handed. They barely had a sniff in front of goal. Their 0.57xGF marking their second lowest figure under Smith after, surprisingly, the victory over the Saints. Meanwhile, that is now 11 games out of 17 this season without a goal, more than any other side in the top-flight.
Four of those blanks have come in the six matches since Smith was appointed. So while there has been some improvement defensively – they have only conceded multiple goals in two of the past seven league games – putting the ball in the net at the other end of the pitch remains an ongoing problem. No team has scored fewer this season (8) than Norwich, who haven’t managed a goal in six of eight away fixtures.
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West Ham Vs Norwich Betting Advice
After defeats in midweek, both respective managers will be after a positive response from their teams at the London Stadium. West Ham did emerge from last season’s corresponding fixture 2-0 winners, and having followed it up by thrashing the Canaries 4-0 at Carrow Road later in the season, are unbeaten in thirteen competitive meetings (W6 D7). Winning three of the past four (D1) here in London in the Premier League.
West Ham Vs Norwich City – Key Facts:
- Both teams come into the game having won one of the last six Premier League games. West Ham have never lost at home to Norwich in the Premier League, though (W4 D3).
- The Hammers have only managed to record one clean sheet in eight Premier League home games in 2021-22, recording three of four home wins whilst conceding.
- However, Norwich are without a goal in six of eight Premier League away games this season, and didn’t manage one in four of the six games since Dean Smith was appointed.
West Ham really ought to have enough to register only a second league win in seven attempts against the league’s poorest outfit, one that hasn’t so much as scored in four of the last six matches and only twice on the road all season (eight games). However, it is one clean sheet at home in eight such fixtures for David Moyes’ side, with three of their four league victories at London Stadium this season seeing them concede.
Best Betting Odds – West Ham Vs Norwich City
West Ham – 2/5 (Betway)
Draw – 4/1 (Betfair)
Norwich City – 8/1 (WilliamHill)
