The English Premier League continues this weekend, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the West Brom vs. Watford and West Ham vs. Swansea matches. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
West Brom vs. Watford
Three-Way: 1: West Brom +137; X: +235 Draw; 2: Watford +275
Spread -0.5: West Brom +134; Watford -141
Total +2: Over -114; Under +108
WEST BROMWICH ALBION
After a solid start to the season with three consecutive victories, West Brom is without a win in the previous five matches, scoring just three goals in the process. They played quite well in the first half at Emirates against Arsenal, but Jay Rodriguez’s misfiring ultimately cost the Baggies as the Gunners beat them, 2:0. Tony Pulis’ side is currently sitting in the 12th position in the Premier League table, and in the meantime, they were eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Manchester City so West Brom can concentrate on the league for the time being.
West Brom played eight games so far in the 2017/18 campaign, recording three wins, two draws, and three losses, with a goal difference of 8:9, which means just over two goals per contest on average. When it comes to the matches at The Hawthorns, the Baggies scored three and conceded three in four games, so we can expect a close encounter when the Hornets come to Birmingham on Saturday. Last season, West Brom defeated Watford at home, 3:1, while Watford was victorious in the corresponding fixture by two goals to nil.
Jay Rodriguez is the team’s leading scorer at the moment with two goals, while Matt Phillips is at the top of the assist chart with two. However, the efficiency is a problem for Tony Pulis, and he needs Rodriguez and Salomon Rondon to be more prolific in front of the goal. Luckily, Pulis doesn’t have injured players on the squad, only Oliver Burke is struggling with a thigh injury, but the 20-year-old winger could feature on Saturday.
WATFORD
The Hornets are in the high 6th position in the Premier League table at the moment, and the team responded very well following a massive 0:6 home loss to Manchester City with a 2:1 victory over Swansea in Wales. The new arrivals, Andre gray and the Brazilian Richarlison secured three points at Liberty Stadium; the latter scored the winning goal in the 90th minute, for the third away win in that many matches. However, Watford recorded only one win in the last eight visits to The Hawthorns.
Watford played seven games in the 2017/18 Premier League season so far, recording three victories, two draws, and two defeats, with a goal difference of 11:13, which means just fewer than 3.5 goals per contest on average. When it comes to away matches, the Hornets have three wins out of three, scoring six and conceding only once, so they are in a good mood ahead of the Saturday tilt with West Brom.
The midfielders, Etienne Capoue and Abdoulaye Doucoure, are currently the team’s top scorers alongside Richarlison with two goals each, while the captain Troy Deeney is still looking for his first goal in this campaign. Marco Silva has a lot of talented players in his squad, and the fact that eight different individuals already found the net in 2017/18 is a proof of it, so Tony Pulis and West Brom’s defense will have a lot to do in the defense. The defensive midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah is out with a knee injury, while the defenders Craig Cathcart, Tommie Hoban, and Sebastian Prodl are also unavailable for this clash.
West Brom vs. Watford – Match Prediction
Although Watford allowed only one goal away from their Vicarage Road, Tony Pulis’ side showed signs of promise at Emirates, and I think they can score here, while the Hornets will not find it hard to do that themselves, considering the attacking potential they have. Therefore, I am picking Both teams to score.
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (+114)
West Ham vs. Swansea
Three-Way: 1: West Ham -105; X: +264 Draw; 2: Swansea +384
Spread -0.5: West Ham -110; Swansea +104
Total +2.5: Over +112; Under -114
WEST HAM UNITED
The Hammers entered this season quite poorly, and even though they managed to stay unbeaten in three consecutive matches, the most recent home defeat to Tottenham has put even more pressure on manager Slaven Bilic. The Croatian tactician is one of the favorites to be the next coach who’ll be sacked, and unless West Ham improves quickly, he will be looking for a new job. The fact that they are still in the Carabao Cup is positive for Bilic, but the potential failure against Swansea might be his final match in charge.
West Ham played eight games so far in the 2017/18 Premier League season, recording three victories, one draw, and four losses, with a goal difference of 8:13, which means 2.33 goals per contest on average. Prior to the defeat mentioned above to Tottenham, the Hammers managed to keep the clean sheet for three games in a row, and if they prevent Swansea from scoring at London Stadium, the win should be quite near. When it comes to home matches, West Ham has a pair of wins and one loss, but they scored at least two goals in each of these contests, so that is an encouraging sign for Slaven Bilic and fans. Another good sign is that Swansea beat them only once in the previous six home matches, so that should be taken into consideration when predicting the outcome of this tilt.
The Mexican striker, Chicharito, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen this summer, leads the team in scoring with three goals to his name, while the fellow forwards, Andre Ayew and Diafra Sakho, are following him with two goals each. Andy Carroll is back into contention again after recovering from the latest setback, but Bilic needs Marko Arnautovic to step up his efforts and contribute more to the attack. The former Stoke winger did record a pair of assists, but unless he starts playing much better, Bilic would be forced to leave him on the bench. Michail Antonio suffered a groin injury against Spurs and will not feature on Saturday, while Manuel Lanzini (knee), Pedro Obiang (muscle), Edimilson Fernades (ankle), and James Collins (ankle) are unavailable for this encounter.
SWANSEA CITY
Swansea is in a run of three matches without a league victory, and they are the second-worst scoring team in the Premier League, only behind the devastating Crystal Palace, who are still without a single goal in the new campaign. The Swans had a point in their hands for 89 minutes against Watford, but the Brazilian Richarlison sealed their fate with the winner in the 90th minute, so Swansea is currently in the 15th position with only five points out of six Premier League games.
Swansea played eight matches since the start of the 2017/18 season, winning three and losing three, along with a couple of draws. They scored nine and allowed eight goals, which means just a bit more than two goals per contest on average. Interestingly, Swansea have a very good away record as they are still without a defeat in five matches; even Tottenham failed to beat them at Wembley, so the Swans have three wins and two draws, with only one goal conceded. However, their recent away record at West Ham is not that positive, but it appears that the atmosphere at the club is way healthier than the one at London Stadium so anything could happen on Saturday.
Jordan Ayew and Tammy Abraham are currently the team’s scoring leaders with three goals each, while the midfielder Leroy Fer is right behind them with a pair of goals to his name. This summer’s big reinforcement, Renato Sanches, is having difficulties to adapt to life in England, and he is evidently still struggling on the pitch. Paul Clements needs him and the returnee Wilfried Bony to step forward and become the leaders of this team, and the tilt against West Ham could be the perfect opportunity for them to shine. Ki Sung-Yong and Kyle Bartley are still sidelined for the visitors and will not participate on Saturday, while Nathan Dyer could be back after recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
West Ham vs. Swansea – Match Prediction
Bilic’s managerial post is far from secure, and the general opinion is that he must win this game, but the pressure might get to him and Swansea could exploit it to get a positive result. Still, I believe that the Hammers are closer to the victory and so, I opted for the home team to celebrate a victory in this game.
MY PICK: West Ham to win (-105)
