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Alan Shearer has predicted how the Premier League basement battle will look after this weekend.
Alan Shearer has predicted how the relegation battle will look after Saturday’s fixtures. West Ham are preparing to face AFC Bournemouth on Saturday evening as they look to continue their momentum and push further towards safety.
The Iron are now within three points of Nottingham Forest after some superb form over recent weeks, but they are going to need to remain consistent if they want to avoid dropping into the Championship.
Bournemouth will provide a stern test for the Hammers, with the Cherries battling for European football this season, but Shearer believes Nuno Espirito Santo’s men will make it six draws in six meetings with Bournemouth.
“This is a tough one to predict. I’ll probably sit on the fence and go with a draw in this one,” he wrote for the Metro. “You’ve got to give West Ham and Nuno great credit because they were done, as we said, a month ago.
“They were down and out but they’ve clawed their way back and Summerville is having a great time scoring goals. I go back to my point that their form has probably cost two managers their jobs in terms of them panicking In Forest and in Spurs, because of what West Ham have done. Bournemouth are in really good form, so I’m going to go for a draw in this one. Prediction – Draw.”
Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest face a very tough task at home to Liverpool on Sunday, with new manager Vitor Pereira preparing for his first Premier League clash in charge having picked up a good win in Europe in the week.
Predicting that game, Shearer wrote: “Nottingham Forest have a change of manager and it was a huge decision which sort of came out of the blue. But I think Liverpool look as if they’ve got some sort of normality back, so I’ll go for an away win.
“I think it’ll be between Nottingham Forest and West Ham for who does take that third relegation place. I don’t see Forest getting anything this weekend. I think they’ll make it tough but not have enough on the day.
“I think, as Arsenal found it tough, City found it tough there as well, and Liverpool will as well because I think Vitor Pereira will get a great reception and the City Ground will be rocking. However, I think the form that Liverpool are in, they’ll just have too much. Prediction – Liverpool win.”
Those results would mean West Ham move to within two points of Forest after this weekend, while also making a goal difference gain of some sort, with the goal difference gap currently favouring Forest by four.
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