The sharks are circling for Mark Hughes who is struggling to get things going at Stoke City currently and with Premier League safety of paramount importance for all clubs, Stoke need points fast. West Ham have gambled on David Moyes and got their first win under the Scot last time out – a famous 1-0 win over Chelsea at the London Olympic Stadium.
English Premier League – Bet 365 Stadium – Saturday 16th December 2017 – 15:00 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 5/2 at Betfair |
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Stoke City
West Ham UnitedStoke City
The Potters are enduring a difficult period under Mark Hughes and currently sit in 15th place in the Premier League table. Their 5-1 thumping at Tottenham last time out has given them the worst defensive record in the division, with 35 goals conceded from their opening 16 games. Xherdan Shaqiri has been a miss for the Potters but his 2 goals since his return from injury will have given the Stoke faithful optimism for the weeks ahead.
West Ham United
The appointment of David Moyes was met with derision by the majority of West Ham fans but the former Everton man looks to have engineered a path to safety for the time being. The Hammers sit in 18th position – level on points with West Brom above them with 13 points to their name from 16 games. Marco Arnautovic was the hero for the Hammers against Chelsea and the Austrian looks to be thriving in Moyes’s disciplined 4-5-1 formation.
Head to Head
West Ham edge the head to head record between the sides – with 36 wins to Stoke’s 34 with another 26 games ending as draws. Both meetings between the sides ended as draws last term – 1-1 at the London Olympic Stadium and a 0-0 stalemate in April 2017 in the equivalent fixture at the Bet 365 Stadium.
Odds and Predictions
This is a battle of the two leakiest defences in the Premier League – 67 goals conceded between them.
Both teams to score – YES – represents great value at 10/11 with Betfair.
Xherdan Shaqiri always provides Stoke’s most prominent goal threat.
Xherdan Shaqiri to score anytime is well over priced at 56/19 with Uni Bet.
Both these sides need the points to steer clear of relegation trouble so there is plenty at stake.
A red card to be shown in the match looks a good outside bet at 7/2 with Coral.
With so much at stake, these two evenly matched sides could cancel each other out.
The match to finish as a draw is an intelligent bet at 5/2 with Betfair.
Score Prediction
Stoke City 1 – 1 West Ham United – 6/1 with William Hill.
Top Betting Tip
Stoke will have plenty of home support backing them but West Ham are in good form of late and could be a tough nut to crack.
The match to finish as a draw and both teams to score looks a solid punt at 17/5 with Ladbrokes.