Brighton vs West Ham prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-08-25 16:30.
It has been a dream start to the new Premier League (PL) season for Brighton who finished the second round on top of the table. The manner of their opening two wins (4-1 against both Luton and Wolves) were impressive, but manager Roberto de Zerbi “didn’t like” their last 20 minutes against Wolves and wanted to “improve the mentality” of his players to fill the void left by departed midfielder Moisés Caicedo. Their two wins have presented them with an opportunity to record three successive PL wins for the first time since October 2018.
They’re heavily fancied to achieve that feat here, and few may bet against them doing so in style, particularly given the potency of their attacking play so far this season. No PL side registered more shots (43) or shots on target (20) in the opening two rounds and more of the same here could contribute to them becoming only the fourth side in English top-flight history to score 4+ goals in each of their opening three matches.
West Ham aren’t expected to be pushovers, especially as they arrive on the back of an impressive 3-1 home win over Chelsea last weekend. Post-match, manager David Moyes admitted his side were “fortunate” not to be trailing at the break and praised his players’ “resilience” for going on to get the win. He’ll hope for more of that same balance here as the Hammers bid to end a run of five PL away trips without a victory (D1, L4).
Unfortunately for the East London outfit, they’re coming up against a side not only in strong form but also one that’s had their number for some time now. West Ham are winless in all 12 PL H2Hs (D6, L6), which is currently the highest number of matches they’ve played in this competition against a single opponent without securing a victory!
Players to watch: Trying to catch the eye of England manager Gareth Southgate, Solly March could become the first Brighton player to score in their first three top-flight matches of a season. Meanwhile, potential future England teammate James Ward-Prowse became the first West Ham player since Thomas Hitzlsperger to register two assists on his debut against Chelsea.
Hot stat: Five of Brighton’s last seven home PL matches produced at least two total first half goals.