The dream of Champions League qualification has slowly turned into a nightmare for West Ham United. They must collect all three points here against Southampton in order to stay in the top 5 after a sour run of form. This current bad patch of form now threatens to undo all the good work that the Irons have accomplished earlier this season.
It has been almost five years since the Saints have tasted victory over The Hammers. The East London club has been on a supreme run against the side from the South Coast, winning six and drawing twice since that loss.
Another interesting stat is that every visit from Southampton to West Ham, in the Premier League era, whether it was Upton Park or the London Stadium, has resulted in three points being awarded. Fourteen of those victories have gone to West Ham, with just four going in the Saints favor.
West Ham vs Southampton FYIs:
Kick-off time: 3 PM GMT, 26th December 2021
West Ham Starting XI Prediction: go here
Premier League Preview Podcast: go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): West Ham (LDWDL) Southampton (LDDLD)
Center back duo Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna both remain out of contention to play this one. West Ham does not expect Frenchman Zouma to return until late January 2022, whilst Italian Ogbonna is out for 12 months, at least, following surgery to repair a damaged ACL.
Aaron Cresswell is worryingly still missing after coming off second best in a tangle with the goal post. The lower back injury must be worse than first thought with David Moyes stating he does not know when he will be fit to play again.
We expect striker Michail Antonio to miss the entire holiday schedule after being confirmed as testing positive for COVID-19. This may just be a blessing in disguise for the team. Antonio has suffered a dramatic drop in form recently and this forces the Hammers staff to try some different options in attack.
In good news, Vladimir Coufal has served his suspension and Ben Johnson returned to the starting xi in the League Cup quarter-final loss to Tottenham.
Two sides in putrid form come together here. I don’t have any faith in either side and I am picking a draw that will be of no help to either side.