Southampton vs West Ham predictions: Saints cut corners at home
- Southampton are bottom of the Premier League table
- West Ham enter this fixture in 14th position
- Recommended Bet: West Ham to win the most corners
Southampton will be hoping for some post-Christmas cheer when they welcome West Ham to St Mary’s on Boxing Day.
Though a draw with Fulham did not improve the Saints’ troubling situation much last time out, it was at least a positive result, with new manager Ivan Juric watching the action from the stands at Craven Cottage.
West Ham’s draw with Brighton last weekend was their second successive stalemate and they will be targeting a victory in this match, with games against Liverpool and Manchester City to come.
Team news
Southampton will be without the injured Gavin Bazunu, Juan Larios and Ross Stewart for the visit of West Ham.
Jack Stephens returns from suspension, but Will Smallbone remains a doubt with a hamstring problem.
Lucas Paqueta is suspended for the Hammers after picking up his fifth booking of the season in the draw with Brighton, while Michail Antonio is out with a broken leg.
The stats
Southampton are without a win in their last eight games across all competitions, drawing two and losing six.
Both teams to score has landed in West Ham’s last five matches.
Only Leicester and Wolves have won fewer corners in home games this season than Southampton.
West Ham have only won two of their nine away fixtures this season, across all competitions.
Prediction
Ivan Juric begins his reign as Southampton manager on Boxing Day, tasked with the seemingly impossible mission of keeping the promoted side in the Premier League.
The Saints go into this round of fixtures with just six points, some eight points away from safety, having last won a game in early November.
Juric’s recent record does not make for inspiring reading for Southampton fans hoping for a miracle this Christmas, with the Croatian sacked by Roma last month, after winning just four of his 12 matches in charge.
Yet nothing should be ruled out against an inconsistent West Ham side that lost away at Leicester at the start of December, with the pressure building on their own manager Julen Lopetegui.
With Southampton under new leadership and the Hammers unreliable, avoid the result and look towards the stats with Southampton averaging just 3.63 corners at home going into this game, while conceding an average of 7.63.
Win up to £250,000 with LiveScore 6!
Win up to £250,000 with our free-to-play game, LiveScore 6!
