West Ham United vs Watford Betting Tip – 17/07/2024 (08:00pm)

West Ham United welcome Watford to the London Stadium on Friday evening for what is a vital clash in the Premier League relegation battle. Should results go their way earlier in the week, a win here for either team could almost guarantee Premier League safety. Even without a crowd, this could be a very tight and tense affair, with the riches of Premier League stability at stake. Read on to discover where the best betting value can be found in this intriguing looking fixture.

West Ham returned to form in dramatic style at the weekend, ending a run of two games without a win with an emphatic 4-0 win away at doomed Norwich City. Hammers gaffer David Moyes will have been delighted with that display, as it came on the back of a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Burnley. Prior to that, the Hammers’ last win was against Chelsea on July 1, when they won 3-2 at home to their London rivals. A 2-2 draw away at Newcastle followed that Chelsea win, so Moyes will be keen to see his men extend their winning run on Friday.

Watford head into this game in good form, having won their last two Premier League outings. Both of those games were at home, and both ended in 2-1 victories for Nigel Pearson’s side. The Hornets are now fourth from bottom in the Premier League table with 34 points. That puts them three points ahead of Bournemouth, who occupy the last of the relegation places. They are on the same number of points as West Ham, but have a six-goal deficit on the east Londoners when it comes to goal difference.

There have been 13 Premier League meetings in total between these sides. Out of those 13 games there have been just two draws. West Ham have won six of those 13 matches and Watford have won five, and there have been two draws. The Hammers have won three times at home in the Premier League against Watford, with the Hornets having won twice in east London.

It is worth noting that the last two Premier League meetings between the sides have been one-sided affairs in which plenty of goals have been scored. The Hammers have won both of those games. Last season at Vicarage Road, the east London outfit triumphed 4-1 over the Hornets. Earlier this season, also at Vicarage Road, the Hammers won 3-1. An early Mark Noble goal from the penalty spot opened the scoring after just three minutes, before a 17th minute equaliser came from Andre Gray. Sebastien Haller then struck twice in the second half to seal the victory for the Hammers.

Hammers score goals against Hornets

If you think that there will be goals in the game on Friday evening then William Hill are offering odds of 8/11 on both teams to score in the game. You can also get a price of 5/2 on there being over 3.5 goals in the game. Recent results would strongly suggest that goals are likely, but punters should also note that there is a lot riding on this game and things might be tight and tense. Both of these teams have scored four goals in their last two games, however.

Hammers striker Michail Antonio could be a man to keep an eye on during Friday’s game. He is currently the Hammers’ top Premier League goal scorer, having bagged eight goals in total. He is priced at 4/1 by William Hill to be his team’s first scorer on Friday, and at 7/5 to score at any time in the game. Watford striker Troy Deeney also has eight Premier League goals to his name in the 2019/20 campaign. His odds to score, both at any time or first, are the same as Antonio’s at William Hill.

The five most recent results

Our prediction for this game is that it will end in a 1-1 draw, with tension dominating matters. While both sides have been in relatively good form in recent games, there is a lot riding on the outcome of Friday evening’s clash. Our recommended tip for the game comes from William Hill, who are offering odds of 3/1 on the game ending in a draw with both teams scoring. We think that those are pretty good odds given the goalscoring form of both of these sides in recent games. There is also a history of both teams scoring in this fixture in recent times.