West Ham v Southampton predictions: Hammers geared to book place in the Europa

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for West Ham v Southampton in the Premier League.

Where to watch

Sky One, 4pm Sunday

Best bet

West Ham
2pts 3-4 Betfair

Team news

West Ham
David Moyes will make a last-minute call on goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (knee). Mark Noble and Manuel Lanzini are expected to miss out.

Southampton
Che Adams and Will Smallbone are both sidelined but Oriol Romeu may feature after three months out.

Match preview

West Ham's Champions League dream may be over but a point against Southampton on Sunday will the Hammers' place in next season's Europa League.

Nerves and fatigue have hindered David Moyes's men in recent weeks but they have some breathing room in the race to secure a European berth courtesy of Wednesday's 3-1 win at West Brom.

It was far from straightforward at The Hawthorns but West Ham once again ground out the type of victory that has been the hallmark of their campaign and a tenth home win of 2020-21 would be a fitting end to an excellent season.

The Londoners have repeatedly proved their doubters wrong and they have a chance to put on a show in front of their returning fans on Sunday, with 10,000 Hammers supporters set to be in attendance.

In contrast, Southampton's season has unraveled since topping the table for a short spell in November. A lack of depth has been exposed since those heady autumn days and Ralph Hasenhuttl has some serious thinking to do going forward.

Tuesday's 2-0 defeat to Leeds was another performance laced with lethargy and Hasenhuttl and his players may be happy for the season to reach its end.

That should work in the favour of West Ham, who know a point will seal their highest top-flight finish since 1998-99.

The Saints won the pair's first-ever meeting at the London Stadium in 2016 but it has been all about the Hammers on their three subsequent trips to Stratford and it is tough to foresee a different outcome on Sunday.

Key stat

Southampton have lost ten of their 18 Premier League away games this term.

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