Sunderland vs West Ham United- Premier League preview and odds

Published on: 15/04/2017

Sunderland vs West Ham United- Premier League preview and odds

April 15, 2017 15:00pm - Stadium of Light

Premier League

Sunderland will look to delay their inevitable drop to the second tier by bagging their first win in seven matches when 14th-ranked West Ham United pay a visit to the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

Sunderland bracing themselves for relegation

Any hopes that Sunderland fans had of watching their side pull off a great escape all but disappeared last weekend with a 0-3 home defeat to Manchester United.

David Moyes` men have picked up just one point form their last seven games and have shown none of the fighting spirit which kept them up last term.

While the Black Cats results have deteriorated, those of the teams around them have improved. As a result, they are now 10 points adrift of safety with just seven games left to play.

Meanwhile, West Ham United will look to build on last week`s 1-0 home win against to Swansea City as they continue their quest for a mid-table finish.

The Hammers had lost five games in a row before that victory and were in danger of being dragged back into the relegation scrap. However, with 36 points on the board, they now appear to be safe, although they will want to achieve mathematical confirmation as soon as possible.

Slaven Bilic`s men have lost their last three on the road, and two of those defeats came against teams below them in the league table (Hull City and Bournemouth).

Team news

Sebastian Larsson (suspended), Bryan Oviedo, Steven Pienaar (calf strain), Jan Kirchhoff (cartilage), Duncan Watmore (ACL) and Paddy McNair (knee) are all set to miss out for the home side, while John OShea (personal reasons) remains a doubt.

Likewise, West Ham will have to manage a list of absentees that includes Mark Noble (suspended), Michail Antonio (thigh), Winston Reid (groin strain), Pedro Obiang (ankle), Angelo Ogbonna (knee) and Gokhan Tore (quadriceps strain), Aaron Cresswell picked up a knock recently and remains a doubt.

Recent form (League)

Sunderland: LLLDL

West Ham United: WLLLL

Betting odds and tips

Sunderland have lost six of their last seven matches, their only point coming courtesy of a goalless draw at home to the leagues worst travellers, Burnley. Whats even more alarming, is the fact that they have failed to score in any of those seven matches.

West Ham have conceded at least one goal in all but of their away matches but they have also scored in 81% of them. However, Sunderlands current inability to convert chances could mean a rare clean sheet for the Hammers.

Back West Ham United to Win to Nil at 4/1 with Bet365

By Neil Morris

Published on: 15/04/2017

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (15/04/2017 11:40:19) but are subject to change.