Southampton vs West Ham prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2022-10-15 13:00.
When asked about his job security last week following a 4-0 defeat against Manchester City, Southampton manager Ralph HasenhĂĽttl worryingly admitted he had “no clarity” on the situation. That loss to the champions meant his side have won just two of their last 15 Premier League (PL) games (D2, L11), while losing the last four in a row perhaps makes the situation seem pretty straightforward for HasenhĂĽttl – win here or perhaps accept his time in charge at St Mary's is likely to come to an end in the not too distant future.
In desperate search of a win, it’s probably fair to say West Ham aren’t the ideal opponent for the Saints given they’ve failed to defeat the Hammers in each of their last four PL home H2H clashes (W2, D2). Southampton have also failed to score in three of those matches, which is a trend that could be set to continue based on the blunt nature of their attacking performances so far this campaign, with only three PL sides scoring fewer than their eight goals ahead of the round.
The visitors have also scored just eight PL goals so far, but do have three more points on the board than Southampton (W3, D1, L5) and look to be improving week-on-week after winning their last two PL matches, leaving them on the brink of a third PL win in succession for the first time since January. Both those West Ham victories came at home though, and it’s been on the road where they’ve encountered most of their issues, something highlighted by the fact they’ve lost eight of their last ten PL away games (W2).
Fatigue could play a role given the Hammers come into this clash having featured in the UEFA Europa Conference League in midweek. They secured a morale boosting 2-1 over Anderlecht, however PL results immediately after European participation this season have fluctuated evenly between wins and losses (W2, L2), and considering the Hammers won their last such game 3-1 against Fulham, manager David Moyes will be hoping he can buck that alternating trend here.
Players to watch: Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse scored and assisted in the last PL H2H, taking his tally to five league goal contributions against the Hammers (G2, A3), and he also scored against West Ham in the FA Cup back in March. West Ham’s Gianluca Scamacca is aiming to become the first Italian forward since former Southampton striker Manolo Gabbiadini over four years ago to score in three straight PL matches.
Hot stat: West Ham (798) are on the brink of becoming only the fourth PL side ever to concede 800 away PL goals.