
Watford v West Ham: Pre-Match Analysis
Watford begin the weekend in 13th spot, 10 points clear of the relegation zone having lost just 1 of their last 5 league games. The Hornets ended a 7 game winless run with a win over Arsenal at the Emirates and followed that up with a win at home to Burnley and a loss away to Man Utd at Old Trafford. Walter Mazzari’s side were busy in January, most notably acquiring Mauro Zarate, M’Baye Niang and Tom Cleverly. 3 of Watford’s last 4 home league games have seen both teams score, as have 3 of their last 4 league games more generally.
West Ham have certainly improved over the last couple of months, after a shaky start to the season. Slaven Bilic’s men have won 3 of their last 5 league games, as well as 3 of their last 4 away from home in the league. Andy Carroll has 4 goals in his last 5 league games and will be a big loss for The Hammers as he misses out through injury this weekend. With the departure of Dmitri Payet, it is likely Bilic will opt for Snodgrass, Lanzini and Feghouli is the 3 behind Antonio this Saturday. Both teams have scored in 3 of West Ham’s last 5 league games, while each of their last 5 have seen Over 2.5 goals. In terms of corners, West Ham have had 4 or more corners in 10 of their 12 league away games this season while 5 of their last 6 games on the road have seen 12 or more corners
In terms of bets, I think West Ham to have the most corners at 11/10 looks a decent bet. Watford have had less corners than their opponents in 7 of their 12 home games this season and average 3.4 team corners per home match. Meanwhile, as has already been stated, West Ham have had 4 or more corners in 10 of their 12 away games this season and with Snodgrass and Feghouli likely to operate from wide areas, The Hammers will get crosses in the box. Both teams to score and Over 2.5 goals at 5/4 is also worth noting, given both sides recent games have seen goals. Prodl and Cathcart face late fitness tests and if out, it could be worth backing West Ham at 7/4.






