West Ham United vs Southampton Match Analysis & Prediction
02/04/2023 4:00 pm
Two teams rooted in the Premier League relegation zone face off in a pivotal six-pointer at the London Stadium on Sunday as West Ham United host Southampton.
The Hammers sit two places and one point better off than their bottom-placed visitors, and a victory for either side could lift them above the dreaded dotted line.
West Ham’s last game saw them beat AEK Larnaca 4-0 in the second leg of their Europa Conference League last-16 tie to seal a 6-0 aggregate win.
Attention will soon turn to their pair of quarter-final showdowns with Gent, meaning that the Hammers cannot remain solely focused on the Premier League relegation battle, where no fewer than nine teams are at risk of a bottom-three finish.
A 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on March 12 ensured that David Moyes’ side would enter the international period in 18th place, but the gap to Crystal Palace in 12th is only three points, and West Ham crucially boast at least a game in hand on all of their relegation rivals.
Not since defeat to Brentford in their final home game of 2022 have West Ham lost in front of their own fans – embarking on a five-game unbeaten run at the London Stadium- but Southampton have recent when it comes to noteworthy results on their travels.
Southampton were staring down the barrel of defeat at 3-1 down against Tottenham Hotspurs at St Mary’s, but a reborn Theo Walcott reduced the deficit before Ainsley Maitland-Niles was felled by Pape Sarr – James Ward-Prowse pushed his loyalties to best friend Fraser Forster to one side as he clinically found the top corner in a dramatic 3-3 draw.
Taking five points from 12 available against Leicester City, Spurs, Manchester United and Brentford can no doubt be viewed in a positive light by Southampton, but they remain rooted to the bottom in 20th place, and all the teams around them crucially boast at least one game in hand.
Southampton held West Ham to a 1-1 draw when the two teams met at St Mary’s five months ago, extending their unbeaten run against the Hammers to four matches across all competitions since a 3-0 defeat at the London Stadium in May 2021.
West Ham United vs. Southampton Head to head
In the 78 previous meetings between these two teams across all competitions, West Ham have claimed 28 victories while Southampton have won 27, and they have drawn in 23. Southampton have scored 102 goals and conceded 106 in the process.
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23/05/2021West Ham United3Southampton0Premier League
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11/09/2021Southampton0West Ham United0Premier League
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26/12/2021West Ham United2Southampton3Premier League
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02/03/2022Southampton3West Ham United1FA Cup
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16/10/2022Southampton1West Ham United1Premier League
West Ham United Team News
Lukasz Fabianski and Michail Antonio remain doubts for West Ham due to face and calf issues respectively.
Alphonse Areola will be on standby to cover for Fabianski if need be, while former Southampton striker Danny Ings will no doubt make his case to line up against his old club either way.
West Ham United's Last 5 Matches
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01/03/2023Manchester United3West Ham United1FA Cup
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04/03/2023Brighton & Hove Albion4West Ham United0Premier League
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09/03/2023AEK Larnaca0West Ham United2Europa Conference League
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12/03/2023West Ham United1Aston Villa1Premier League
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16/03/2023West Ham United4AEK Larnaca0Europa Conference League
Southampton Team News
Armel Bella-Kotchap dislocated his shoulder and Jan Bednarek broke his rib and they went of early during the 3-3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
Che Adams will need an assessment after suffering a calf injury in Scotland’s win over Cyprus, while Mohamed Salisu did not turn out for Ghana due to an unspeciafied problem.
Southampton's Last 5 Matches
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01/03/2023Southampton1Grimsby Town2FA Cup
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04/03/2023Southampton1Leicester City0Premier League
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12/03/2023Manchester United0Southampton0Premier League
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15/03/2023Southampton0Brentford2Premier League
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18/03/2023Southampton3Tottenham Hotspur3Premier League
West Ham United vs. Southampton: Odds and Predictions
Main Prediction
1X2: 1
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