Only three matches are scheduled to take place on Saturday afternoon from 3.00pm and the best of them goes on at the former Olympic Stadium in Stratford where West Ham welcome Southampton to east London. This promises to be a competitive contest, both teams fancying themselves good enough to clear up the points.
A Closer Look
The Hammers are enduring another torrid season and the fans are beginning to feel the bite of the winter months. There seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel at present, but the locals are experienced in fighting off relegation and will rate their chances of doing so again.
West Ham’s defence is at the heart of the club’s problems so far. They have been scoring their fair share of goals in recent months, but a leaky backline can be blamed for their lowly league position. At present, the club is struggling to put points on the board and have been sucked into the middle of a bitter relegation dog fight. The home win has been chalked up as a 13/8 second favourite by bet365. That will catch the eye of value hunters.
Hammers Need a Home Win
Southampton arrives in the capital aware of the troubles suffered by its host but is experienced enough at this level to know they can take nothing for granted. West Ham is never an easy place to come and that doesn’t change simply because the squad are performing poorly. They’ll know The Hammers are an injured animal at present. Southampton’s recent form has been far from convincing either, but Southampton is aiming for a midtable finish and is 6/4 favourites at Betfred. There’s enough in that price to warrant an interest and The Saints will be popular in weekend accumulators.
