The English Premier League continues this weekend, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the West Ham United vs. Brighton matchup. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
West Ham United vs. Brighton
Three-Way: 1: West Ham -116; X: +248 Draw; 2: Brighton +371
Spread -0.5: West Ham -118; Brighton +102
Total +2.5: Over +118; Under -148
WEST HAM UNITED
The Hammers will welcome Brighton in the opening match of the Premier League on Friday night, and they are the favorites, so a defeat is not an option for Slaven Bilic and West Ham after a rather disappointing start of the season. West Ham is in the 15th position with eight points, the same amount as the Seagulls, but a potential victory could send them to the mid-table. Following a last-minute win over Swansea City in the round 7 when Diafra Sakho secured a much-needed three points, West Ham drew an away game to Burnley, even though they were leading until the 85th minute.
Michail Antonio gave the Hammers a 1:0 lead in the 19th minute, but Andy Carroll’s recklessness and a couple of yellow cards in the space of three minutes ultimately cost them a win, so West Ham left Turf Moor with a point in the bag instead of three. However, two consecutive games without a loss is a sign of encouragement for Slaven Bilic’s men, and they will try to prolong that run on Friday.
West Ham played ten games so far in the 2017/18 season, recording four wins, two draws, and four defeats, with a goal difference of 13:14, which is 2.7 goals per contest on average. When it comes to home matches at London Stadium, the Hammers recorded three victories and one loss, 2-3 against Tottenham.
West Ham managed to keep their net intact in those three wins (2-0 over Huddersfield, 3-0 over Bolton in the Carabao Cup, and 1-0 against Swansea), so it’s not going to be easy for the visitors to score here. Joe Hart is not in a particularly good form, but Brighton are one of the most inefficient teams in the Premier League so the former Man City goalkeeper can hope for a clean sheet on this one. The Hammers scored at least one goal in each of four home matches, and they have eight in total, which is precisely two per contest in front of their own fans. They met Brighton on the only couple of occasions in the past ten years, and West Ham won both games without allowing a goal. However, the previous one was played back in 2012, when West Ham was competing in the Championship.
Chicharito and Diafra Sakho are the team’s top scorers with three goals to their respective names, while Andre Ayey contributed with a pair of goals thus far. The Mexican forward Chicharito will likely start the tilt alongside Sakho in the attack as the result of Carroll’s suspension. Slaven Bilic is happy to have most of his players recovered from setbacks, and only James Collins cannot help his teammates due to malleolar injury, but the Welsh defender could be back in the coming days as he is near to returning to the pitch. Michail Antonio and Marko Arnautovic (the team’s leading assist-maker with two dishes) should continue to attack from the flanks, while Manuel Lanzini or Andre Ayew could be set for the role behind the strikers if Bilic opts for an attacking formation.
BRIGHTON
The Seagulls won only one game in the last five, and it was the home, 1-0 victory over Newcastle United almost a month ago. They fell short at Emirates against Arsenal, and they were unlucky to be held at AMEX Stadium against Everton, as Wayne Rooney’s 90th-minute penalty goal stole two points out of their pockets. Anthony Knockaert gave Brighton a lead in the 82nd minute, but the captain Bruno Saltor conceded a penalty after elbowing in the box to provide Everton with the opportunity to score, and Rooney converted it into a goal. Brighton’s record of eight points from the first eight matches is somewhat respectable as they are among the teams that should battle relegation this year, and as long as they’re staying above the danger zone, the fans will be delighted.
Brighton has played ten games in the 2017/18 campaign, recording three wins, two draws, and five losses, with a goal difference of 7:11, which is only 1.8 goals per contest on average. The Seagulls are definitely not an attractive team with attacking style of football, and there are no plenty of excitement when they’re on the pitch.
However, Chris Hughton is interested in getting the result more than playing a high-flying football, and that has to be respected, considering the depth in his squad and the quality of the players, who are, to be entirely honest, the Championship material. The away form is a big problem for the Seagull as they didn’t record a single win since the start of the season, and one goal scored in five outings is quite insufficient if they want to stay in the Premier League.
Brighton allowed a pair of goals in each of the previous three away games, and with West Ham’s home record, they will have a mountain to climb to keep their net intact on this one. The visitors will probably be sitting at the back and waiting for an opportunity on the counters, while the set-pieces will be their chance to score against the unconvincing West Ham defense. It is important not to concede in the first 30 minutes of the clash, and if they manage to do that, the Seagulls could hope to snatch a draw at London Stadium, which would be a significant achievement for them.
The German midfielder Pascal Gross and the Israeli striker Tomer Hemed are currently the team’s leading scorers with two goals each, while Anthony Knockaert, Solly March, and the youngster James Tilley are behind them with a goal to their respective names. Gross is obviously an MVP of this team as he leads on the assist-chart with three dishes so far, and he must be closed down by Cheikhou Kouyate on Friday, or else, the German could create a lot of problems to Joe Hart. Chris Hughton cannot count on the forward Hemed as he’s serving a suspension and will be back for the next round, while the veteran midfielder and journeyman Steve Sidwell is out with a back injury and will be unavailable for another month. The forward Sam Baldock (calf) and Biram Kayal (calf bone) are also sidelined, and there is no exact timetable for their return.
West Ham United vs. Brighton – Match Prediction
The Hammers are playing much better at home, and are scoring two goals per match on their turf, so I think they are good enough to score a couple past Matt Ryan. On the other hand, Brighton is quite weak when it comes to away games, and even if they score here, I don’t believe they will keep a clean sheet. Therefore, I think we shall see at least 3 goals.
MY PICK: over 2.5 goals (+118)
