Monday Premier League – West Ham United vs Stoke City Preview 

April 16th 2018 20:00 – London Stadium

Recent Form (League):

West Ham United: LLLWD

Stoke City: DLLLL

West Ham looked on the brink of collapse just over a month ago, going into the international break on the back of a 3-0 humiliation at home against Burnley.

Their dreadful display sparked protests among the fans, with numerous pitch invasions and calls for the board to be held accountable. There seemed insurmountable problems at the club, with the move to the London Stadium one of the biggest issues. But if a week is a long time in football then a month must seem like an eternity for the Hammers

When the Hammers returned after the international break, there was still plenty of tension in the air. Fortunately for them the players stepped up to the plate, hammering Southampton 3-0 to ease some of the concerns around The London Stadium. They followed that with a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, and now find themselves in a much more comfortable situation.

West Ham now sit 14th in the Premier League, six points above the relegation zone and in higher spirits than usual. They will be confident about getting some more points on the board here as they can play without so much pressure against a team that are in truly woeful form.

Stoke City’s Premier League future hangs in the balance. They are still sat in the relegation zone despite sacking Mark Hughes and replacing him with surprise choice Paul Lambert in January. But the change in management has done nothing to reverse The Potters fortunes, and their 2-1 loss at home to Spurs last weekend extends their winless streak to nine games in the Premier League.

The last four of these have been defeats, and whilst they have had some tough fixtures to deal with they have never shown much of a fighting spirit. This, unsurprisingly, puts them in the bottom three, sitting four points adrift of safety in 19th position.

Away from home it’s been even worse for The Potters. They haven’t won on the road in the Premier League since October, and that 1-0 win against Watford is their only away win of the season. They have lost seven of the 11 league games since then, and now face a West Ham side who despite the controversy surrounding the London Stadium have only lost one of their last six home league games.

Prediction:

Expect Stoke City’s losing streak to continue as West Ham prevail with less than 2.5 goals in the game. Get the best prices at Betfair.