West Ham host the relegation doomed Huddersfield on Saturday. The Terriers have lost a brutal 15 of their last 17 Premier League games and need a miracle to stay in the top-flight.
Prayers for a Huddersfield miracle are bound to fall on deaf ears as the Hammers are undefeated against their weekend opponents.
Manuel Pellegrini’s team are coming off of a shock away loss to Cardiff last weekend. The Hammers were surprisingly anemic in front of goal as they lost 2-0. West Ham have really excelled at home this term securing 24 of their 39 points at the London Stadium. The club is in its third season of playing at the venue and it is finally feeling like home. West Ham are undefeated in their last five matches at the London Stadium with three of those results ending in wins. They have outscored opponents 9-4 during that time with two matches ending in clean sheets.
Huddersfield are still at the bottom of the Premier League table with just 14 points from 90 possible. The Terriers have won just three times while posting the league’s worst goals return (15). Huddersfield have won just once on the road this term. They have lost their last three matches being outscored 8-0.
The two clubs have met twice since Huddersfield were promoted for the 2017-18 season. West Ham are undefeated in those three matches with two ending in wins. Their previous game this term ended in 1-1 draw at the John Smith’s Stadium. The last time they met at the London Stadium in September 2017, West Ham defeated the Terriers 2-0. All three meetings between the sides have featured over 1.5 goals.
Pellegrini is expected to recall divisive striker Marko Arnautovic to the team. Arnautovic has been declared 100 percent fit for the game. The striker has had a start-stop season with speculation over a possible move to China causing chaos at the club in January. The striker has tallied seven goals in 21 games, but hasn’t scored since January 2nd. In his last six appearances in the Premier League, Arnautovic has failed to play a full 90 minutes.
West Ham still have plenty of long-term injuries. Andriy Yarmolenko, Carlos Sanchez, Jack Wilshere, Winston Reid, and Andy Carroll will all miss the weekend’s action. Things are far worse for Huddersfield. The Terriers may be without seven first team players. Jonathan Hogg, Adama Diakhaby, Danny Williams, and Isaac Mbenza have been ruled out. Meanwhile, Demeaco Duhaney, Laurent Depoitre, and Terence Kongolo are likely to miss the game as well.
Huddersfield will taste defeat once more. West Ham have been solid at home and they will gain another victory at the London Stadium. Arnautovic should dominate the Huddersfield defence, if he starts. Expect West Ham to score goals against the Terriers. West Ham will get the win and 2.5 goals to be tallied on Saturday.