West Ham United travel to take on Southampton in the Premier League this afternoon.
Pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he think Southampton will beat West Ham United 2-1 in the Premier League this afternoon, suggesting that the visitors ‘don’t look ready’.
Southampton opened their Premier League campaign last weekend with a 0-0 home draw with Swansea City, as Mauricio Pellegrino couldn’t get off the mark with a victory in his first competitive game in charge.
General view inside St. Mary’s Stadium
Pellegrino watched on as Southampton failed to break Swansea down, with the Saints still looking a little unconvincing in the final third, much as they did under Claude Puel last season.
The Saints are back at St. Mary’s Stadium again this afternoon, as they host West Ham United given that the Hammers had to switch the game to an away fixture, with the London Stadium not ready for use after the IAAF World Championships.
The Hammers endured a nightmare start to their season, as they were thrashed 4-0 away at Manchester United, with a brace from Romelu Lukaku as well as goals from Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba sealing a thumping win for the Red Devils.
Despite naming new signings Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez in his side, manager Slaven Bilic saw his side struggle at Old Trafford, with some fans now worried about their prospects this season.
Now, pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks West Ham – much like their home stadium – don’t look ready for the new season, and is backing Southampton to create a number of opportunities against a Hammers back line which was caught out time and time again at Old Trafford last weekend.
Lawrenson added that Southampton need to take those chances with more regularity than they did against Swansea, but is backing the Saints for a 2-1 victory this afternoon.
“West Ham are on the road again – they are starting the season with three straight away games because London Stadium is not ready for matches after hosting the World Athletics Championships,” said Lawrenson “That is not ideal anyway, but even less so after the manner of their 4-0 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday.”
“Southampton made a better start with their draw against Swansea, but their problem was they did not really look like they were going to score despite having plenty of chances. I think they will have more opportunities on Saturday because, like their ground, West Ham do not quite look ready. If Saints can take them, they will win this time,” he added.
What is your prediction for Southampton v West Ham United?
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