West Ham United head to the south coast tomorrow to take on Southampton.
When writing his regular column for Sky Sports, Paul Merson predicted the outcome of Saturday’s Premier League clash between the Saints and the Hammers.
Both teams have been incredibly inconsistent this season, if nothing else, and are currently languishing in mid-table, although they still have faint hopes of finishing inside the top seven, and qualifying for Europa League football again.
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At the moment though, both sides seem to be a long way away form being at the level required to force their way into European contention.
And Merson explained how it is a tough game to call, what with the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the two sides, when writing his weekly prediction column for Sky Sports:
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
“It’s difficult to know what you are going to get from these sides. It’s really difficult to know which Southampton team will turn up. It’s the same with West Ham. They put back-to-back wins together against Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough but are then thumped by Manchester City – but Pep Guardiola’s side always seem to save their best football for the Hammers. I think home advantage will play a part here so that’s why I’m going with a slender Southampton win.”
Southampton manager Claude Puel
Prediction: Southampton 2-1 West Ham
Claude Puel’s men can leapfrog Slaven Bilic’s side in the table with a win, and with all three points, they could climb as high as ninth.
The Londoners can also climb to ninth spot with a victory at St Mary’s tomorrow, if other results go their way.
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There will surely be goals in the game, with both side’s having shipped a combined 19 goals in their last five league outings in all competitions.
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