West Ham United will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Hammers, who lost 3-0 at Chelsea on Monday night, have dropped down into 10th position in the table, while Brighton currently sit 17th, just two points clear of the relegation zone.
Match preview
© Reuters
All things considered, it has been a successful opening to the season for West Ham, who have picked up 21 points from their 14 matches, boasting a record of six wins, three draws and five defeats.
David Moyes's side are currently 10th in the table, just five points behind fourth-placed Everton, but the capital side are also just three points clear of 13th-placed Crystal Palace, which is an indication of how quickly things could change in this season's unpredictable Premier League.
The Hammers have only actually won one of their last four matches, drawing 1-1 with Crystal Palace at the London Stadium on December 16 before losing 3-0 at Chelsea on Monday night.
West Ham, who face back-to-back away matches with Southampton and Everton after this contest, have somewhat surprisingly failed to beat Brighton in the Premier League, losing three and drawing three of their six previous meetings with the Seagulls at this level of football.
© Reuters
Brighton, meanwhile, will enter this weekend's contest off the back of successive draws with Fulham and Sheffield United, which followed defeats to Southampton and Leicester City.
The Seagulls have not won in the league since overcoming Aston Villa on November 21, and a return of 12 points from 14 matches has left them in 17th spot, just two points outside of the relegation zone.
Graham Potter's side continue to draw admiring glances with their style of football, but it does appear that the club will be in a relegation battle this season, having found it difficult to translate performances into results.
Brighton's recent record against West Ham will hand them confidence, though, and they have actually performed better on their travels this season, picking up eight of their 12 points away from the Amex.
West Ham United Premier League form: WWLWDL
Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form: WDLLDD
Team News
© Reuters
West Ham could have Michail Antonio back for this contest, with the attacker recently returning to training after overcoming his latest hamstring issue.
Arthur Masuaku is out following knee surgery, though, and the home side could also be without Manuel Lanzini, who was not involved in Monday's clash with Chelsea due to a hamstring problem of his own.
Moyes is unlikely to risk starting Antonio, meaning that Sebastian Haller should again lead the line, but there could be a change in attack with Said Benrahma potentially coming in for Mark Noble.
As for Brighton, Florin Andone and Jose Izquierdo remain unavailable for selection through injury, while the visitors will also be without Tariq Lamptey due to a hamstring issue.
Potter could decide to select the same XI that selected against Sheffield United, with Neal Maupay, Aaron Connolly and Leandro Trossard featuring in the final third of the field.
Adam Lallana should again start alongside Yves Bissouma in midfield, meanwhile, and there might once again be eyes on the latter, who has recently been linked with Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Coufal, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Fornals, Benrahma, Bowen; Haller
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; White, Dunk, Webster; Veltman, Bissouma, Lallana, March; Maupay, Connolly, Trossard
We say: West Ham United 1-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton have had their problems this season, but the Seagulls are more than capable of picking up a positive result at the London Stadium. West Ham's form this season has been strong, though, and we fancy Moyes's side to collect all three points on Sunday courtesy of a narrow success.
Top betting tip
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a West Ham United win with a probability of 36.63%. A win for Brighton & Hove Albion had a probability of 36.63% and a draw had a probability of 26.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a West Ham United win was 1-0 with a probability of 10%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.08%) and 2-0 (6.36%). The likeliest Brighton & Hove Albion win was 0-1 (10%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.71%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 5.1% likelihood.
