Brighton – West Ham Tips Free Betting Tips
After beating Stoke City 2-1 to reach the quarterfinals of the FA Cup, Brighton & Hove Albion’s impressive season shows few signs of slowing down. While that victory kept hopes of securing a first major trophy alive, manager Roberto De Zerbi may have one eye on leading an inspired Seagulls to their first UEFA European competition, with their 35 points after 22 games being the most for the club at this stage of a Premier League (PL) campaign.
Visiting West Ham United would seem to be the perfect opponent to keep them on track, as Brighton have never lost any of their previous 11 PL meetings (G5, E6). That is the most times they have faced any team in the competition without a loss, although a 1-0 defeat here in their last league match against another London side, Fulham, suggests this will be no easy task.
Those 11 winless games against Brighton also represent the most times West Ham have faced a PL opponent without a win, and to make matters worse, it comes after a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup. The stricken Hammers, who find themselves just two points above the bottom three in the table before this matchday, though at least took some of the mounting pressure off manager David Moyes by beating Nottingham Forest 4-0 in their last league outing.
However, that win accounted for 17% of all their league goals this season (23), and with only two teams scoring fewer goals in the PL away from home (seven) before the start of this fixture, the Hammers will want to give it their all here and shake off the “Brighton Curse”. Although with only two wins in their last 12 league appearances (E3, P7), Moyes probably doesn’t care much about the scoreboard if his team can secure back-to-back PL victories for the second time this season.
Players to watch: This match could see a clash of master versus apprentice, with the 18-year-old striker b scoring four times in his last nine appearances, including Brighton’s last appearance. While the experienced Danny Ings scored his first goals (G2) in West Ham colors last weekend, and the tricky forward also totaled five contributions on goal in six appearances against the Seagulls in his stints with Aston Villa and Southampton (four goals, one assist).
Key stat: West Ham has conceded the opening goal in eight of its last nine PL away appearances.
OVER 2.5 GOALS Odds: 2.00
The odds presented in the prediction may vary at the time of verification.
