Pundit says Middlesbrough will be too strong at home for the Hammers, but is their record all he cracks it up to be?
Pundit and former footballer Paul Merson has told SkySports he expects West Ham to suffer defeat against Middlesbrough.
The Hammers are full of confidence after beating Crystal Palace 3-0 last weekend but Merson says he was not impressed with the team and the scoreline flattered them.
West Ham United’s Pedro Obiang in action with Crystal Palace’s Yohan Cabaye
This weekend he expects them to come unstuck against a resilient ‘Boro side, although his reasoning is not exactly nailed on.
He explained, predicting a 1-0 win for Middlesbrough: “For 70 minutes against Palace, West Ham weren’t very good. Then they got the first goal and the confidence flooded back into Slaven Bilic’s side.
“However, Boro are very tight at home and don’t let in a lot of goals. They are very hard to beat in front of their own fans.”
Middlesbrough fans celebrate at full time
Despite Merson’s praise of Middlesbrough, their record at home is the 17th best in the division, with five defeats from 10 matches.
West Ham by contrast have picked up 17 points at home compared to Middlesbrough’s 11, ranking them 12th.
The Hammers’ away form makes the vulnerable though, having lost six of 10 matches on their travels, winning only twice. The first scorer in Saturday’s game is likely to be crucial.
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