West Ham United host Southampton in the Premier League this afternoon.
Mark Lawrenson
Pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks West Ham United will beat Southampton 2-1 at the London Stadium this afternoon.
West Ham head into the game having struggled in the Premier League so far, losing four of their first five games of the season, winning just the one.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic
Consecutive 4-2 defeats to Watford and West Brom have piled the pressure on manager Slaven Bilic, and the 1-0 midweek win over League Two side Accrington Stanley – which came thanks to an injury-time Dimitri Payet free kick – has done little to inspire confidence.
Back at their new London Stadium home again today, West Ham will be hoping to grab a second Premier League win of the season as they host Southampton.
The Saints haven’t been much better, as having picked up two points in their first four games, they picked up a 1-0 win over Swansea City last weekend as they look to really kickstart their season.
Southampton manager Claude Puel
Claude Puel has taken some time to get going on the South Coast, but with Charlie Austin finding some form and his players showing signs of adapting to the 4-4-2 diamond system, Southampton will be hoping to pile the misery on West Ham today.
Ahead of the game, pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he actually expects West Ham to claim a 2-1 victory this afternoon, and thinks their off-field issues will disappear given time.
View inside the London Stadium
Lawrenson also stated that Southampton may be relying on Austin for goals given that they possess the lowest shot conversion rate in the division, and that’s food for thought for a West Ham defence that has struggled this season.
“Southampton have the lowest shot conversion rate in the Premier League, just 6.45%,” said Lawrenson. “Shane Long is probably most to blame for that, but Charlie Austin is a finisher and, as he showed last weekend against Swansea, if he is picked and gets a chance, he will take it.”
“West Ham have been struggling at the back but they have been working hard to improve defensively, and it will come. The Hammers’ off-field issues are obviously not helping but things at the London Stadium will improve with time and this season was always going to be far more difficult than their last one, regardless of where they were playing,” he added.
What’s your prediction for West Ham United v Southampton?
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