West Ham United vs Watford. Premier League.
Upton ParkAttendance34,857.
Wednesday 20 April 2016 19:50, UK
West Ham could welcome back Diafra Sakho for their clash with Watford as they try to reignite their top-four aspirations.
Since an enthralling comeback victory at Everton at the beginning for March, the Hammers have drawn four games in a row - seeing their Champions League dream dwindle.
Victory at Leicester on Super Sunday would have done their cause a world of good, but a controversial late penalty denied Slaven Bilic's men a much-needed three points.
Defeat against Watford will all but end the Hammers' season - but could the Hornets be distracted by their upcoming FA Cup semi-final?
A fortunate victory at West Brom last time out completely secured Watford's Premier League status for next season, after a run of six without a win.
Team news
Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores is planning to make a number of changes to his side. The Hornets boss wants to keep his players as fresh as possible ahead of their FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace on Sunday but intends to play the same shape as usual.
Goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes is the only player confirmed to be in the starting XI for the game but Flores has a full squad to chose from with no injuries.
Sakho has recovered from the knee injury which forced him to miss Premier League draws with Arsenal and Leicester, as well as the midweek FA Cup defeat by Manchester United.
Boss Bilic therefore has a full-strength squad and could hand recalls to Sam Byram, Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll, who climbed off the bench to score a penalty at Leicester on Sunday.
Opta stats
West Ham United have won just one of their last seven matches against Watford in all competitions (W1 D2 L4).
The Hornets have scored one goal in each of their last three visits to the Boleyn Ground, winning two and losing none of those visits.
Watford have scored just seven goals in their last 13 Premier League games and have averaged just three shots on target per game in this period (39 shots on target overall).
The Hornets have already won twice as many league away games this season (6) as in their two previous Premier League campaigns combined (3 in 1999-00 & 2006-07 combined).
There have been 23 goals scored in the last five Premier League games involving Slaven Bilic's side, with West Ham both scoring and conceding at least twice in each game.
West Ham are unbeaten in eight successive games in the Premier League (W3 D5 L0), but the last four of these have been draws. They haven't gone nine unbeaten in the top-flight since a run of 18 games between August-December 1985.
West Ham haven't suffered a home league defeat since August 22nd 2015 and are currently on a 14-game unbeaten league run at the Boleyn Ground (W7 D7 L0). They have never gone 15 in a row there without defeat in the top-flight.
Dimtri Payet needs one more goal to become just the second West Ham midfielder to score 10+ goals in a Premier League season, after Kevin Nolan in 2012/13.
Andy Carroll has scored eight Premier League goals this season; his best return since 2010/11 (13). Indeed, Carroll has netted five goals in his last four league games.
Just seven different players have scored a goal for Watford in the Premier League this season (excl. own goals) - the lowest spread of any team in the competition.
Charlie predicts
I still think there's a bit of life in West Ham, even though the top four has gone for them, and they still have a lot more incentive to win here than their visitors.
I know they've been getting the bad luck with the referees' calls but they always seem to get into a position where they can take advantage of others' slip-ups and they stumble. It's as if there's a mental block and that has hurt them.
Watford have more than done enough in the league and with an FA Cup semi-final coming up, they've lost an edge. Odion Ighalo's goals have dried up. It will be an emotional final few games at Upton Park and that will keep driving West Ham on.
Charlie predictions: 2-0 and Manuel Lanzini to score first - 33/1 with Sky Bet
Betting
West Ham are odds-on at 8/13 with Sky Bet to beat Watford and boost their hopes of securing a place in the top six. The Hammers are 11/10 shots to achieve that feat with Watford 15/2 outsiders to land a top-half finish. The Hornets won the corresponding fixture 2-0 and are 9/2 to complete the double, with the draw trading at 29/10. Andy Carroll bagged a hat-trick in the last match at Upton Park and is 4/1 to break the deadlock and 6/5 to net anytime, while Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney are both 9/4 shots to score anytime. Get the latest odds and tips from our Sky Sports pundits here.
