West Ham United - Burnley predictions and free betting tips [10/03/2024]

Today as part of the 28th tour of the Premier League (PL), West Ham will welcome Burnley to their home ground. On Thursday, the Hammers fell to a 1:0 defeat to Freiburg in the opening match of the Europa League's 1/8 finals, while Vincent Kompany's side were defeated by Bournemouth 2:0 a week earlier.

Predicted Line-ups

West Ham: Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Mavropanos, Cresswell; Soucek, Phillips; Bowen, Ward-Prowse, Paqueta; Antonio.

Burnley: Trafford; Assuncao, O'Shea, Esteve, Taylor; Vitinha, Berge, Brownhill, Odobur; Amdouni, Detro Fofana.

West Ham

This season, West Ham is vying for a European Cup slot and currently sits 7th in the PL table, falling behind the top six by 2 points. In 2024, the Londoners plunged into a crisis, commencing their season with six league matches without a victory (three draws and three losses). Nonetheless, in the last two tours, the Hammers finally recovered: firstly defeating Brentford 4:2, then overcoming Everton last weekend 3:1. This week, David Moyes' men fell to Freiburg in the first match of the Europa League's 1/8 final with a 1:0 score, with Michal Gregoritsch's goal being the decision-maker in the 81st minute. It is worth noting that the Londoners are having a fairly average performance at home this campaign: only 22 points garnered from 13 home matches (9th best in the division), scoring 22 goals and conceding 19.

With Aston Villa, Newcastle and Tottenham on the horizon, the hosts simply can't afford a slip-up this Sunday evening. The West Ham dugout continues to be without injured winger Maxwel Cornet, to which is also added the loss of central defender Ageruda, who missed this week's Europa League match. Emerson Palmieri had to replace Aaron Cresswell due to groin issues during the match in Freiburg, and the ex-Chelsea player is likely to be out for the PL's forthcoming tour. The attacking trio will once again be made up of Paqueta (two goals, five assists), Kudus (six goals, three assists), and Bowen (14 goals, three assists). French goalkeeper Areola is having an excellent season overall and remains a reliable custodian for his team.

Burnley

Occupying 19th place in the Premier League table and having only collected 13 points from 27 rounds, it seems Burnley has resigned itself to the prospect of being relegated to the Championship. There is an 11-point gap from the safety mark of 17th, and their results aren't exactly impressive: they have gone nine consecutive league matches without a win (two draws and seven losses). The Clarets have suffered four consecutive defeats: from Liverpool (3:1), Arsenal (0:5), Crystal Palace (3:0), and Bournemouth last weekend (0:2). Justin Kluivert scored in the first half, and Antouan Semenyo clinched the match in the closing minutes. In March, away games are in store against Brentford and Chelsea, so they need to grab points at every turn. Bayer (defender), Ramsey (midfield), and Foster (four goals) remain absent from the Clarets' line-up, along with wingers Koleosho (one goal, one assist) and Redmond.

Chelsea loanee Detro Fofana is shining in the Clarets' ranks, though he hasn't managed to score for the last four tours. In better news: Kompany can once again count on Josh Brownhill, who served his suspension in the match with Bournemouth, causing Josh Cullen to be benched. Zeki Amdouni will battle for the position of central forward with Jacob Brunn Larsen.

Head-to-head

In November, Moyes's men won 2:1 at Turf Moor, thanks to Tomas Soucek's last-minute goal. Interestingly, Burnley has not managed to best the Hammers in the last five face-to-face clashes.

West Ham - Burnley match prediction

Midweek saw West Ham play a gruelling match against Freiburg in the Europa League, but a deep bench allows Moyes to rotate the team relatively painlessly. The Londoners urgently need to make up for lost ground from the European slot, and hosting a league underdog at home seems like a favourable opportunity. The visitors are steeped in a major slump and no longer believe in their chances of survival, so my bet is on the host's victory.