West Ham vs Crystal Palace prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-12-02 14:00.
[p]Momentum continues to build despite lacklustre performances at West Ham, who progressed to the knockout stages of a European competition for the third season running on Thursday. David Moyes’ men have now won four successive matches in all competitions, but with each of the last three requiring goals in the 88th minute or later, there’s definitely room for improvement as they return to Premier League (PL) action.[/p]
[p]The Hammers will now attempt to win back-to-back PL home matches for the first time this season, but stiff opposition awaits them when you consider that they’ve failed to win any of the last four meetings with Crystal Palace at the London Stadium. Scoring first, as they’ve done in five of their six PL matches here, would go some way to doing that, but West Ham tend to fade as games progress – 18 of the 23 goals they’ve conceded in the league this season came in the second half of matches.[/p]
[p]The visit of goal-shy Crystal Palace is timely then, as only the three promoted sides have netted fewer than the Eagles’ 13 ahead of this round. Roy Hodgson will take his beleaguered squad across the capital without key midfielders Cheick DoucourĂ© and Eberechi Eze after both went off injured against Luton – a “devastating” blow according to the Palace boss.[/p]
[p]His side are good travellers though, earning two-thirds of their PL points on the road despite becoming the first side in the competition’s history to lose away at Luton last week. Palace will therefore be desperate to avoid losing three successive league matches for the first time since March, but history indicates this might be the ideal venue to stop the rot. Having won each of their last two meetings with West Ham, the Eagles could now win three consecutive H2Hs for just the second time, and the first since 1911![/p]
[p]Players to watch: Hammers midfielder Tomáš Souček has scored in five successive games for club and country, and will be looking to build on his three-goal haul from six prior H2Hs with Palace. Michael Olise scored his first goal since returning from injury last week, and has happy memories of facing West Ham, directly contributing to four goals in three appearances (G2, A2).[/p]
[p]Hot stat: All of West Ham’s last five matches have been settled by a one-goal margin (W4, L1).[/p]