West Ham United, Southampton
West Ham United are set to face Southampton on Thursday.
Zak Anderton
Mon 23 December 2024 17:40, UK
There’s no denying that West Ham United and Julen Lopetegui have had it rough at times this season.
The Hammers currently sit 14th in the Premier League table and while they have an eight-point gap between themselves and 18th-placed Wolves, it feels like they should be doing far better.
They had a rather expensive summer window that saw several players welcomed through the London Stadium doors but at times this term it’s felt like they’ve been worse than when they were under the watchful eye of David Moyes.
However, as bad as they’ve been this season, the fact that Jamie Carragher has predicted Lopetegui’s men to leave St Mary’s as 2-1 losers is hard to fathom [Super Six Pundits Predictions, 23 December].
The Saints are rock bottom of the Premier League table and while Russell Martin has been removed from his role as manager, West Ham should still have more than enough quality within their ranks to triumph over Ivan Juric’s men.
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Although having a new manager within their ranks will no doubt give the Saints some sort of momentum boost, it’s hard to see how they’d have enough quality to leave St Mary’s with all three points to their name.
Southampton have won none of their last five top-flight clashes and while West Ham have only won one themselves, as Niclas Fullkrug is now back in action, they have added even more firepower to their ranks.
The fact that Mohammed Kudus scored the Hammers’ equaliser against Brighton in their game on 21 December will also no doubt play in Lopetegui’s favour as he could find himself in a decent run of form, which is exactly what West Ham have lacked this season.
Mohammed Kudus
West Ham United forward Mohammed Kudus [Credit: Imago]
If the Hammers earn a victory against Juric’s men, and other results go their way, they could move up to 13th and be within five points of sixth place, which, when their form across the season is taken into account, is a fairly decent showing.
Only time will tell what happens but if the Spaniard and his team are beaten by Southampton, the pressure upon their heads will increase and perhaps contribute to the early end of his tenure.
In other West Ham news, a Mohammed Kudus transfer prediction has been shared after what happened in the Hammers’ game against Brighton.
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