West Ham vs Norwich: Preview & Prediction

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Match Preview:

Wednesday evening will see West Ham take on Norwich in London and the Hammers will be the outright favourites to get all three points.

This is a huge game for West Ham who would go 4th with a win and go 2 points clear of Arsenal although they would have played a game more. Nothing more than a win will do in this game and the club will be expected to get it against a side who has lost 13 of their 19 games so far.

The Hammers are in good form coming into this game with wins against Watford and Crystal Palace and they are scoring goals, which is always a good sign and have 7 goals from those two games. Presently the Hammers biggest threat for 4th place is actually Tottenham who are just one point behind them but have 2 games in hand. The Hammers have overall been solid at home although they did lose their last game here going down 3-2 against Southampton.

Last weekend the Hammers put in a professional display to see off fellow Premier League side Leeds 2-0 in the FA Cup, and the club will be happy to have remained at home for this game.

Norwich have lost their last 5 games and it feels as though Dean Smith never arrived at the club now. They are in bottom place and looking doomed. However the irony is despite their poor form there is just a 3 point gap to safety, in theory 4 for them because of goal difference but it is achievable. The problem for the Canaries is that with the money they have Newcastle will be expected to push on and out of the bottom three leaving it almost impossible for Norwich to do anything.

The Canaries last game finished in a 3-0 loss at Crystal Palace and it’s 10 goals conceded now in their last three games. Surprisingly Norwich do not have the worst away record, that prize goes to Newcastle. However the club have only won 5 points on the road from a possible 27 losing their last two and have won just one game. What is also staggering is that Dean Smith’s side have only scored 3 goals on their travels so far.

Perhaps Norwich can take some heart from their last game last weekend as they managed to beat Charlton 1-0 away in the FA Cup third round. A rare win for the club despite the opposition will be warmly welcomed.

Team News: 

West Ham: Said Benrahma is on international duty. Aaron Cresswell could be assessed but remains a major doubt with his on going back injury. Kurt Zouma is also a doubt but could be assessed. Angelo Ogbonna is out long term with his knee injury.

Norwich: Todd Cantwell is expected back for this game after recovering from illness. Jonathan Rowe will be assessed after having had Covid-19. Lukas Rupp was being pencilled in to return for this game with his hamstring but that looks unlikely now. Andrew Omobamidele looks like he will miss out again due to a back injury. Billy Gilmour is out until next month with an ankle injury. Christoph Zimmermann is recovering slowly from his ankle injury and again looks a doubt to feature in this game.

West Ham vs Norwich Head to Head:

The last time the teams played here was in 2019 and West Ham ran out 2-0 victors.

The last game played between the clubs was in 2020 and playing away from home the Hammers won 4-0.

Norwich have not beaten West Ham away from home in 33 years.

West Ham vs Norwich Prediction:

At the end of the day Norwich still has another half of the season to go, and that has to be their attitude coming into this game. A surprise win would actually take the club into 18th place, and suddenly there would be everything to play for, that is the fine lines in football. They will need to push on because one suspects that Newcastle will do so and Norwich’s job will soon become impossible.

The Hammers are around 1.30 to win this game and it is rare to see the Londoners at such short odds but nobody is giving Norwich much of a chance even though this looks like being a make or break game for them. We have to admit that the Hammers should have too much for their visitors but should have to work very hard for the win. One player we should focus on is Michail Antonio who has just signed a new 2 year contract with David Moyes side he will be feeling good, and we should take him on to score in this one. It might be worthwhile backing the home side to win on the handicap, they have 2 or 3 goals in them for this game. 

West Ham vs Norwich Betting Tips:

Handicap: West Ham to beat Norwich with a -1 goal start at 1.80

Anytime goalscorer: Michail Antonio at 2.10