West Ham host Watford in the Premier League this afternoon.
Mark Lawrenson
Pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks West Ham United will beat Watford 2-0 at home this afternoon.
West Ham enter the game having endured a mixed start to the season, with defeats to Chelsea and Manchester City coming either side of a narrow 1-0 home win over a ten-man Bournemouth side.
Factor in a Europa League exit at the hands of Romanian side Astra Giurgiu and Slaven Bilic needs a strong result against Watford this afternoon – and he should receive a major boost with the options at his disposal.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic
Star playmaker Dimitri Payet is set to return having been out with an injury, whilst recent signing Simone Zaza is also in contention to lead the line up front having signed on loan from Juventus.
Their opponents Watford haven’t had much better luck either, as they’ve picked up just one point so far after drawing with Southampton, but losing to Chelsea and Arsenal in a tough opening to the campaign.
West Ham’s Dimitri Payet
Today, manager Walter Mazzarri will be hoping for a first win of the season, and particularly want to see strikers Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney get off the mark after such impressive seasons last term.
Ahead of today’s game though, pundit Mark Lawrenson – well-known for backing West Ham to lose last season – has told BBC Sport that he thinks Bilic’s men will claim a 2-0 win this afternoon.
Lawrenson highlighted the return of playmaker Payet as a key factor in his prediction, and ultimately believes it will be a long, hard season for Watford.
Watford manager Walter Mazzarri
“West Ham have been hit by a few early injuries but Dimitri Payet should be back this weekend and he has been badly missed,” said Lawrenson.
“Watford only have one point so far, although it should be factored in that they have played Chelsea and Arsenal in two of their three games. I don’t see them getting anything at the London Stadium either, though, and it looks like being a tough season for the Hornets,” he added.
What’s your prediction for West Ham v Watford?
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