Things aren't going well for West Ham United right now. The Hammers are playing in a strange venue this year at London's Olympic Stadium, and the place just hasn't felt like home. It's still early for sure, but the team is in the relegation zone at the moment, a place that Slaven Bilic can't afford to keep his team for much longer if he intends on keeping his job. This match against Southampton is crucial on Sunday, especially knowing that there's a midweek home date with Accrington Stanley on Thursday in the EFL Cup that Bilic has declared a "must-win affair."
At 11 a.m. ET, tune into NBC Sports Network for live television coverage of this EPL match on Sunday, September 25, 2016, at Olympic Stadium.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
West Ham +185
Southampton +158
Draw +235
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
Never did we think we would see West Ham at +185 in a home match against any of the teams outside of the really top clubs this year, especially this early in the season. The Hammers though, have just one result to show for six matches, and they haven't been trustworthy for sure.
Southampton is actually the favorite on the road at +158 alongside a total of a flat 2.5.
Key Injuries
It would be easy for West Ham to blame injuries right now for its lack of form. Andre Ayew has been out for weeks with a thigh injury, Andy Carroll hasn't played since the middle of August, Aaron Cresswell hasn't played in the regular season yet, and now, Winston Reid is dinged up as well after his team's match against West Brom last weekend. Toss in the fact that Diafra Sakho hasn't played a game since the preseason either, and it's easy to see where the frustration has been coming from.
Soton is still waiting the return of Florin Gardos and Jay Rodriguez, both of whom were expected to be back a couple weeks ago and neither of whom have. Rodriguez is especially crucial for a team that doesn't have all that much depth at the front of the pitch.
Recent Form
There's no doubt that the Hammers have had nothing go right lately. They were bounced out of the Europa Cup in the end of August, a shocking time for an English team to be dismissed from any international tournament, and since that point, they've dropped matches to Manchester City, Watford and West Brom, allowing 11 goals in that stretch.
Of course, it should be noted that Southampton hasn't exactly been lights out either. The team has yet to snare even a point on the road, though it should be noted that the club has wins over Sparta and Swansea City in succession and is looking to make it three straight wins on Thursday when Crystal Palace comes to town.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Many are assuming that Southampton is going to end up playing well in this match due to the fact that it's a much easier fixture than the games against Manchester United and Arsenal were on the road to start this season. It's a fair assessment for sure, especially for a team that is in good form, but if we're being honest at this point, neither one of these teams have been up to par thus far in 2016-17. Southampton merely is in better form at the moment.
Bilic has to be feeling the heat right now, and he knows if this match ends poorly and the team gets bounced from the EFL Cup, there's a good chance he doesn't have a job by Monday. But there's a point that teams come up with inspired efforts for their managers, especially one as beloved as Bilic. Don't be surprised if West Ham finally comes up big for its boss and scores its best triumph of the season in the early going.
EPL Odds: West Ham 3, Southampton 1
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