The Hammers will feel confident facing Swansea this afternoon as they will know what to do to stop their attacking flow.
At the beginning of the season, Andre Ayew and Bafetimbi Gomis were the league’s hot property, scoring and creating goals for fun.
It is no coincidence that Swansea City’s form declined as soon as Gomis and Ayew stopped performing up top. Gomis himself did score a fantastic goal against Manchester City and the Swans were certainly unlucky not to get anything from the game at the Etihad.
The Hammers have never beaten Swansea away from home in the Premier League but Bilic will feel that his side have a good chance of beating them. The Hammers have conceded just one goal in their last three league games so a similarly solid display this afternoon could result in West Ham picking up some points.
The Welsh side are the third-lowest scorers in the league, managing just one more goal than bottom club Aston Villa. This is certainly their weakness as other stats suggest that this Swansea team are the same patient passing team that many have become familiar with over the years.
The likes of Mauro Zarate and Enner Valencia will need to get in behind the Swansea defence in order to provide some attacking threat. There is also the possibility that Nikica Jelavic will feature from the start. Although his Hammers career has been very brief so far, this is the chance for the Croat to prove himself if he is chosen to lead the line this afternoon.
In short, if West Ham can keep out Gomis and Ayew, they stand a very good chance of winning this one. Swansea will be desperate to get out of the relegation zone in time for Christmas so there could be some nerves around the Liberty Stadium. If the Hammers can upset the hosts early, Bilic could be celebrating his first win in the league since October.
