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Ipswich make their first-ever visit to the London Stadium on Saturday to take on a West Ham side who are just one place and one point above them in the table.
Kieran McKenna’s team arrive into the capital off the back of 4 straight draws in the PL and seem to have built up a resilience about them in their first campaign back in the top-flight for 22 years.
For West Ham and their manager Julen Lopetegui, it’s just 1 win, 2 draws, and 3 defeats in their 6 PL matches so far and pressure is mounting on the Spaniard to turn results around quickly. The Hammers have lost all 3 of their home games this campaign, conceding 8 goals in the process, and have picked up only 2 points from the last 12 on offer.
The sides last faced each other back in the 2011/2012 season in The Championship, with The Hammers getting the double over the Suffolk side that year.
After defeat to Liverpool and Manchester City in their opening two fixtures, Ipswich have since adapted to the Premier League and recently secured a more than impressive 0-0 draw away at Brighton and a 2-2 draw at home to Aston Villa last time out to make it 4 unbeaten for The Tractor Boys.
Ipswich have shown a real steel about them in recent weeks and have gained points in the last two fixtures from losing positions. McKenna has continued with the style of play that has brought them so much recent success with back-to-back promotions and the ‘feel good factor’ the head coach has instilled in the club over the last two seasons has continued into the PL era.
In my opinion, they look like the team with the best chance of surviving relegation out of the three promoted clubs, and their odds of 4/5 to stay up with bet365 look fair for those of you who want to tie up your money for the season.
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I expect it to be a rather tense atmosphere at the London Stadium on Saturday and that anxiety from the crowd could work against Lopetegui’s team. Having fallen behind in every single home match and in all but one of their PL games this season, I fear if Ipswich were to strike first in this one the negativity from the stands could filter through to the players on the pitch and it could be a long afternoon for those players in claret and blue.
Compounded with this is the fact Ipswich have scored first in half of their PL matches so far (3 of their 6 games) and I feel it’s something McKenna will be aiming to do again. In turn, this could lead to fans turning on both the West Ham players and Lopetegui in particular during the game.
It’s a cliche but the the first goal will be massive in this one.
Could this be the last game in charge for head coach Julen Lopetegui if The Hammers were to lose on Saturday? I feel it could well be the final nail in the coffin and a probable outcome.
Despite still awaiting their first win of the campaign, McKenna’s Ipswich have been slowly improving game by game and I feel they will fancy their chances of leaving London with at least a point on Saturday.
The array of betting markets available leads me to consider the ‘Team To Score First’ market given the numbers outlined earlier. Ipswich are best priced at 13/8 with bet365 to strike the first goal in the game.
At risk of repeating myself, West Ham have conceded first in 5 out of their 6 matches in the PL so far and the Tractor Boys have scored first on 3 occasions. At the prices, this is a must bet for me but that won’t be the only selection.
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The ‘first goalscorer’ betting market also appeals, with main man Liam Delap best priced at 9/1 with Betfair Sportsbook to add to his 3 goals so far this term (2 of which have been the opening goal). It ties in with the overall angle I have of wanting to take on West Ham and I’m happy to put my faith in the extremely promising youngster who’s grown up and learned from the best at Man City.
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For the main bet in the game, I’ll keep it simple. The ‘Double Chance’ market offers the chance to get the outcomes of Ipswich or the Draw onside at 21/20 with Star Sports looks a very enticing price.
A few factors come into play here, firstly Ipswich’s togetherness and team spirit which has been based on the fact the majority of the players have been together for at least two seasons and has been the foundation of their success. This should stand them in good stead over the course of the campaign.
They’ve also realised they can certainly compete and have been picking up points when not expected to do by the betting market. Moreover, There is the tragic West Ham form and performances to consider. If McKenna’s side were to score first, which they have proven they can do, they will have a wonderful opportunity to record their first win of the season.
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