Pre-match thoughts: West Ham Utd vs Southampton

West Ham bounced back from a disappointing opening day defeat to Tottenham by seeing off Crystal Palace last week, and will go into their next match against Southampton feeling confident.

The Saints have struggled in their opening couple of games, with just one point on the board thus far, suggesting a tough season ahead for them.


Team news

What made the Hammers' opening day defeat to Spurs so frustrating is that they dominated for large parts of the game, but lacked the creativity and cutting edge to break down their old enemies. However, they showed these qualities against Palace in their 3-1 win, with Mauro Zarate proving a stand out performer.

A lot of fans were sceptical about him when he was signed, but the injury to Kevin Nolan is his chance to stake a claim, and he certainly got off to a good start - even if he was slightly less effective in the Capital One Cup 72 hours later.

Alongside Nolan, the other big injury absence for the Hammers is Andy Carroll, but this is matched by the fact that the Saints are without key men Jay Rodriguez and Gaston Ramirez.

Sam Allardyce is also likely to be without Matt Jarvis, Carl Jenkinson and James Collins, with new signing Diafra Sakho only rated 50/50 having sustained a knock against Sheffield United earlier in the week. On the bright side, Enner Valencia is expected to play a part despite featuring for 120 minutes on Tuesday evening.

Despite losing most of their star performers, as well as their manager, Saints haven’t looked that bad so far – so the Hammers shouldn’t take victory for granted.

Morgan Schneiderlin is one player they will have to keep quiet in midfield, as he is someone who can make a difference (although there are rumours of an interest in him from Spurs). Sam Allardyce’s plans are likely to concentrate on shutting down Tadic and Clyne on the left flank, as they created most of Southampton’s opportunities against West Brom.

How successful he is at keeping these three quiet – as well as whether Zarate will produce the same form again – could be the key issues that decide this one.


Match notes

Neither side has any suspensions, but the ongoing stories linking Southampton players with moves away – the latest examples being Schneiderlin to Spurs and Victor Wanyama to Arsenal – could affect those players’ heads.

Saints haven’t been free scoring so far, so you would expect them to keep it tight, and given that Sam Allardyce’s tactics often lean towards counter attacking, breaking them down (without getting caught themselves on the break) could be the tough part.

West Ham have the upper hand in recent affairs, with United unbeaten in the last five meetings between the teams. In the most recent meeting back in February at the Boleyn Ground, Saints took an early lead (Yoshida) but were eventually well beaten courtesy of goals from Jarvis, (C) Cole and Nolan.

Southampton's only win over West Ham since Sam Allardyce became manager came in October 2011, when Jos Hooiveld's goal on the verge of half time was enough to win his team all three points in a Championship clash.


The Fans' View

"Is there something in the air at Upton Park that makes it more like that the home side scores a higher percentage of their shots? Or that makes us more likely to spurn chance after chance?

"Isn't another possibility that luck plays a big role in football? Based on the evidence I'd say we were the better team last year. The better team often loses. But it wins more often than it loses.

"Past history on a particular ground really means very little. It's just statistical noise. The current state of both teams is far more relevant. West Ham seem a little better this year than last but now have injury problems. We're a little Jeckyll & Hyde, but the Jeckyll Saints show signs of being pretty wonderful."
- NewYorkSaint/saintsweb.co.uk

"So we've lost to Spurs at home, one of our biggest rivals, and we've lost to Sheffield United, argubly one of our biggest rivals. I

"If we also lose to Southampton where I spent my uni years I think I might have to give up..."
- hammer2192


Match stats

- The Hammers are undefeated in their last five matches against the Saints.

- Southampton have scored once in five out of the last six games against West Ham.


Betting

Home – 18/11, Away – 19/10, Draw – 23/10 (betting preview)


Likely Starting XI

West Ham – Adrian, O’Brien, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell, Kouyate, Noble, Vaz Te, Zarate, Downing, Cole

Southampton – Forster, Clyne, Bertrand, Wanyama, Fonte, Yoshida, Davis, Schneiderlin, Pelle, Ward-Prowse, Tadic

Referee – Mike Dean

Match date/time – Saturday August 30, 3 pm

TV - BBC Match of the Day (highlights)

Prediction – A narrow win for the Hammers, although Saints will make it difficult.

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