Mark Lawrenson is backing West Ham United to beat Sunderland 2-1.
Mark Lawrenson
Pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks West Ham United will beat Sunderland 2-1 at the London Stadium this afternoon.
West Ham picked up just their second Premier League win of the season last wekeend, as they went away to Crystal Palace and picked up a 1-0 victory thanks to Manuel Lanzini’s winner.
General view of a West Ham fan at the London Stadium
Slaven Bilic’s new 3-4-2-1 system worked perfectly, but it’s unclear whether he will be able to play that same formation given that Aaron Cresswell is unavailable through suspension having been sent off against Palace last week.
With just one league win at the new London Stadium, West Ham will hope to really get their season going with a victory against a struggling Sunderland side.
The Black Cats have picked up just two points in their eight Premier League games, and remain without a league win under David Moyes after a disastrous start to the campaign.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
Moyes will be desperate to grab that first victory today, but pundit Mark Lawrenson thinks Sunderland will lose yet again in a 2-1 defeat.
Lawrenson told BBC Sport that he thinks West Ham will view this game as the perfect way to improve their record at their new home, especially against a Sunderland team who have an ever-increasing injury list.
The former Liverpool defender added that he thinks Jermain Defoe – formerly of West Ham – will score for Sunderland, but is backing Bilic’s men for the win.
Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe
“Sunderland’s woes continued with another defeat – at Stoke – last week and their injury list is not getting any smaller either,” said Lawrenson.
“West Ham got an important win at Crystal Palace last week and will look to this game as a way of improving their record at the London Stadium too. I fancy Black Cats striker Jermain Defoe to score against his old side, but I am backing the Hammers to come out on top,” he added.
What’s your prediction for West Ham United v Sunderland?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
