Southampton v West Ham tips: Can Hammers stop Saints’ march?
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The festive football continues on the South Coast tonight as Southampton take on West Ham United.
Southampton look like a team reborn under new boss Ralph Hasenhuttl. They’ve won two of their three games under the Austrian, including a 3-2 victory over Arsenal.
They’ll be looking to make it three wins on the bounce here. But the Hammers have won four of their last five outings. And Manuel Pellegrini’s side know they could climb up to eighth with a convincing win.
Who’ll give their fans a belated Christmas present?
Match Odds
Our traders fancy Saints to build on their recent form at 11/10.
But West Ham have only lost once on the road since August. They’re 23/10 to get the points here, with the draw at 12/5.
The last four meetings between these sides have produced Over 2.5 Goals. We go 3/4 that this one follows the same pattern.
Talking Tactics
Hasenhuttl has got Southampton pressing with real intensity. Danny Ings sets the tone up front, with Nathan Redmond and Stuart Armstrong looking to make things happen in behind.
The hosts could be without Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares though. They’ll be big misses with Felipe Anderson and Robert Snodgrass in wide areas for West Ham.
Javier Hernandez is a doubt for this one, which means Pellegrini could give Andy Carroll his first start of the campaign.
If Carroll does get the nod, West Ham are likely to whip the ball into him at every opportunity. You can’t blame them. It’s not pretty, but it’s very hard to deal with.
Goalscorer Odds
Ings has three goals in the two games under Hassenhuttl so far. He’s 7/2 favourite to break the deadlock.
Charlie Austin got the winner last time West Ham came to town. There’s 8/5 about him scoring this time around too.
Carroll is 19/10 to open his account for the season, while Anderson is 3/1 to get on the scoresheet.
Match Info
Where: St Mary’s Stadium
When: 7:45pm
How to watch: Sky Sports Premier League
All Odds and Markets correct as of date of publication
