Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has delivered his prediction for West Ham United’s clash with Southampton on Saturday.
The two teams enter the game with not much to play for, but the Hammers are coming off the back of a tremendous victory over Tottenham Hotspur last time out. Merson feels they’ll continue that form with a 3-2 win over the Saints.
“They can embarrass you, West Ham,” he wrote on the Sky Sports website. “Look at them and think yep, they’ll beat Huddersfield easily but it takes a last-minute goal to score their fourth. They should have won against Manchester United, I gave them no chance at Tottenham and they won.
“Southampton will have a go too, the way they’re set up now. Both teams are safe, it’s always important to win your last home game.”
OPINION
You’d have to say at this point that West Ham are the favourites going into this game. Now that Southampton have secured their Premier League safety, there isn’t much to play for for either side. However, the Hammers are coming off that fantastic win over Spurs and have been looking pretty good recently. They don’t always turn up against the Premier League’s lesser lights, although they did taste victory at St Mary’s Stadium in the reverse fixture in December. You do wonder if we’re about to see one of the random off-days which have become Manuel Pellegrini’s side’s trademark this campaign, but you would think, given that this is their last home game of the season, that the West Ham players will be determined to go out with a bang here. Ultimately, that will probably be enough to see them through in what Merson believes will be an entertaining clash.
