MX23RW : Thursday, March 28 08:16:17| >> :120:22255:22255:
[monks data]
West Ham logo
Premier League | Gameweek 31
Apr 11, 2021 at 2.05pm UK
London Stadium
Leicester logo

West Ham
3 - 2
Leicester

Lingard (29', 44'), Bowen (48')
Soucek (10'), Cresswell (30'), Masuaku (90+2')
FT(HT: 2-0)
Iheanacho (70', 90+1')
Pereira (33'), Fofana (45+2'), Ndidi (46')

Preview: West Ham United vs. Leicester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Sunday's Premier League clash between West Ham United and Leicester City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

A crucial top-four showdown will take place at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon when West Ham United host Leicester City in the Premier League.

The away team has been victorious in four of the last eight top-flight meetings between the Hammers and the Foxes, although the visiting side has not won both league encounters in the same season since the 1929-30 campaign.


Match preview

West Ham United's Jesse Lingard celebrates scoring their first goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on April 5, 2021© Reuters

West Ham kept their top-four hopes alive with an entertaining 3-2 away victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday evening.

A stunning solo goal from Jesse Lingard, followed by strikes from Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen, saw the Hammers race into a three-goal lead after just 38 minutes; Wolves fought back with two goals either side of half time, but David Moyes's men held on to claim all three points at Molineux.

That victory moved West Ham above London rivals Chelsea into fourth place, one point clear of Thomas Tuchel's side with eight matches left to play.

Only Manchester City, Manchester United and this weekend's opponents Leicester have won more Premier League games than the Hammers so far this campaign, and Moyes has insisted that their top-four challenge is "not a fluke".

Heading into this weekend's intriguing encounter, West Ham have the second-best home record in the Premier League this season, accumulating 28 points from 15 matches at the London Stadium. Meanwhile, Leicester have the second-best away record so far this term, claiming 34 points on the road.

The Hammers know that they cannot afford many slip-ups if they wish to qualify for next season's Champions League and defeat on Sunday could see them drop down as low as seventh if Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool were all to win this weekend.

Leicester City's Kelechi Iheanacho celebrates scoring against Manchester United in the FA Cup on March 21, 2021© Reuters

Likewise, Leicester must be wary heading down the home straight as their top-four position, which they have held for the last 14 weeks, could be under threat.

Victories in March against Brighton & Hove Albion and Sheffield United kept the Foxes in the Champions League places and despite losing 2-0 to leaders Man City last weekend, they remain in third position. However, there are now only four points separating them from West Ham and they are just five clear of fifth-placed Chelsea.

Enforced alterations to Leicester's backline have exposed defensive vulnerabilities in recent weeks; the Foxes have kept just one clean sheet in their last seven league games and on Sunday face a Hammers outfit who have scored in 25 different Premier League matches this season, with only Man City finding the net in more.

Leicester are, however, one of six away teams who are yet to lose a Premier League match at the London Stadium, with the Foxes unbeaten in four, winning and drawing two each.

Brendan Rodgers will be keen to avoid a repeat of October's encounter with the Hammers, who beat them 3-0 at the King Power Stadium. Securing three points this weekend would provide a massive boost in their quest to seal a Champions League place for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign, when they won their first ever top-flight title.

West Ham United Premier League form:
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • W

Leicester City Premier League form:
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • L

Leicester City form (all competitions):
  • L
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • L


Team News

Declan Rice celebrates scoring for West Ham United against Sheffield United in the Premier League on February 15, 2021© Reuters

West Ham are set to be without striker Michail Antonio, who was forced off with a hamstring problem after 36 minutes in the victory at Wolves on Monday.

Bowen, who scored at Molineux after replacing Antonio, could lead the line if the latter is not fit to feature.

Another major blow for Moyes is the loss of midfielder Declan Rice, who has been ruled out for around four to six weeks having torn the lateral ligament of his right knee.

Defender Angelo Ogbonna (ankle), winger Andriy Yarmolenko (knee) and goalkeeper Darren Randolph (groin) all remain unavailable for selection through injury.

For Leicester, Rodgers could bring James Maddison and Ricardo Pereira into the starting lineup at the expense of Ayoze Perez and Marc Albrighton.

Defender Caglar Soyuncu was unavailable last weekend after testing positive for coronavirus while on international duty with Turkey and as a result, the 24-year-old is highly unlikely to feature on Sunday.

Winger Harvey Barnes and full-back James Justin both remain out with knee injuries, while Cengiz Under and Wes Morgan will undergo late fitness tests before kickoff.

Belgian midfielder Dennis Praet, who has started just one game in 2021, is hoping to feature in the capital but is unlikely to start ahead of either Youri Tielemans or Wilfred Ndidi.

West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Coufal, Dawson, Diop, Cresswell; Noble, Soucek; Fornals, Lingard, Masuaku; Bowen

Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Amartey, Evans, Fofana; Pereira, Tielemans, Ndidi, Castagne; Maddison; Vardy, Iheanacho


SM words green background

We say: West Ham United 2-2 Leicester City

Goals are to be expected in Sunday's fixture as only Man City have netted in more games than both West Ham United and Leicester so far this season. In addition, each of the last five games hosted by the Hammers against the Foxes have seen both teams score.

A win for either side would be huge in their quest for the top four, but both clubs may have to settle for just a point in the capital.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data


Video prediction

Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:



ID:442563:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect13897:

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 Leicester City win with a probability of 48.61%. A win for West Ham United had a probability of 26.07% and a draw had a probability of 25.3%.

The most likely scoreline for a Leicester City win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.25%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.38%) and 0-2 (8.77%). The likeliest West Ham United win was 1-0 (7.73%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.04%). The actual scoreline of 3-2 was predicted with a 1.8% likelihood.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: West Ham vs Leicester

West Ham United
41.4%
Draw
23.7%
Leicester City
34.9%
186
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Leicester City's Jamie Vardy celebrates scoring against Liverpool in the Premier League on February 13, 2021
Read Next:
Brendan Rodgers confident Jamie Vardy will start scoring again
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!