West Ham face a crucial test this weekend when they host fellow relegation strugglers Bournemouth at the London Stadium, in a match that can be described as a six pointer.
The Hammers enter the game on the back of a six match unbeaten run across all competitions, which started with a high-scoring 3-3 draw against the Cherries in December.
David Moyes‘ side currently sit 11th in the table, opening up a five-point advantage over the relegation zone, and enter the game just a single point ahead of the visiting side on Saturday afternoon, with the West Ham vs Bournemouth betting odds having the Hammers as favourites at evens.
An upturn in form from club-record signing Marko Arnautovic has helped the Hammers significantly, with the Austrian having scored six goals in his last nine matches and also contributing three assists during that run of form. After a slow start to life with the Hammers, he’s now proving his worth.
Arnautovic has eased the pressure on the forward line, which has been misfiring all season, and the former Stoke man is likely to lead the line this weekend amidst uncertain futures for the likes of Andre Ayew, Diafra Sakho, Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll- all of whom are linked with January exits.
Carroll has missed the last three matches and looks set to miss out again this weekend, amidst interest from Antonio Conte’s Chelsea, and the team news for Saturday’s game is likely to give a strong indication of what outgoing business fans can expect in the coming weeks.
Moyes himself is continuing to seek further signings, chasing a new striker and a new midfielder, but those recruits will arrive too late to feature in this crucial relegation battle- where the winners could find themselves sitting comfortably in mid-table.
Bournemouth, however, earned a vital win last weekend after coming from behind to beat Arsenal and will carry confidence into the match. The Cherries haven’t found too much problems in scoring, with the pace of Callum Wilson up front having the potential to cause West Ham plenty of problems.
Goals can certainly be expected as the Hammers have been involved in just two goalless draws in their last 23 matches, whilst Eddie Howe’s visiting side have had just one goalless match in their past 20 matches across all competitions.
Conceding three in an FA Cup third round replay in midweek shows the defensive frailties amongst the Bournemouth ranks that West Ham can look to exploit this weekend, leading to Arnautovic and company likely being confident about their chances heading into the game.
