West Ham vs Burnley Prediction
Hammers and Clarets: Who'll Blink First?
Preview
Right then, let's have a proper look at this basement battle at the London Stadium. Two sides in a right old pickle, both scrapping for points to climb out of trouble. West Ham are propping up the table with just 7 points from 10 games, while Burnley aren't much better sitting 17th with 10 points. It's shaping up to be a proper six-pointer, this one.
The Hammers did show a bit of fight recently, thumping Newcastle 3-1 at home, but let's not get carried away - that's their only win in their last nine games. Their home form has been shocking, mind you. They're winning just 20% of their home matches and shipping 2.6 goals per game at their own gaff. That's not good enough, is it? They've kept just one clean sheet in their last 10 games, which tells you all you need to know about their defensive woes.
Burnley aren't exactly world-beaters on their travels either. They're winning only 25% of their away games and, get this, they're conceding 3.0 goals per away match. That's proper generous, that is. They did put three past Wolves in their last away game, but then got stuffed 0-2 by Arsenal at home. Like West Ham, they've managed only one clean sheet in 10 games.
When these two have met in the past, it's been pretty even stevens - three wins each and three draws from nine meetings. West Ham have only won 25% of their home games against Burnley, which doesn't exactly fill you with confidence. The last time they played, it ended 2-2, which suggests we might be in for a few goals.
Both teams have been scoring and conceding regularly. West Ham have seen both teams score in 60% of their games, while for Burnley it's 70%. Given both defenses are about as solid as a chocolate teapot, I'd expect both teams to get on the scoresheet here. The goal expectancy is 2.00 for West Ham and 2.17 for Burnley, which points towards an open game.
With both sides desperate for points and both defenses leaking goals for fun, I reckon we'll see both teams find the net. It might not be pretty, but it could be entertaining for the neutral!