Premier League: Hammers and Seagulls Primed for a Strong Start in the New Year

West Ham United vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Two of the hottest clubs in the Premier League are set for a New Year clash at London Stadium. This pivotal Matchday 20 clash will shape the landscape of the top flight table to start the new year, and the victor will have a great advantage moving forward.

Managers David Moyes and Roberto De Zerbi’s football minds and brilliance were on full display in the month of December, pulling upsets and dominant victories against their top-flight rivals.

With Liverpool, Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Arsenal pulling away in the upper echelon of the top flight, all eyes are now on the midfield, where virtually seven teams are neck and neck in hopes of pulling away in the dangerous marshes of the Premier League.

Talking Points

West Ham’s last-minute run

David Moyes and his boys were keen on ending the calendar year with a bang, and that’s exactly what they did. They were undefeated in the month of December, except for their humbling 5-0 defeat against the Cottagers.

But aside from their blunder in Fulham, the Hammers made a statement and bolstered their bid for Premier League glory as they defeated threatening adversaries like Arsenal, Manchester United, Wolves, and Tottenham in convincing fashion.

Excluding their forgettable night at Craven Cottage, the Hammers only conceded one goal in the top flight for the whole month of December, posting clean sheet after clean sheet against their Premier League rivals.

Not to mention they cemented their reign in Group A of the Europa League after handing German outfit SC Freiburg a 2-0 victory at home in the middle of the month. Moyes and his squad emerged as the top dogs in one of the most competitive groups in the Europa League, besting teams like Freiburg, Olympiacos, and Serbian competitors Bačka Topola.

Now, the Hammers have set themselves up for a blazing start to the new year. Currently in the sixth spot, West Ham are not just three points behind Tottenham, who are making a late-year stride as well. And with Jarrod Bowen leading the pack, the Hardy Hammers are up for a big 2024 campaign.

The Seagulls are back in the mix

Brighton also had a respectable December, losing just one out of their last five Premier League matches. After thrashing Tottenham during the last matchday, the Seagulls are just a point behind seventh-placed Manchester United and three points behind West Ham United in the sixth spot.

With a better goal difference than the two teams ahead of them, Roberto De Zerbi’s outfit is poised to propel themselves a couple of places in the league table if they come out as the victors during their upcoming top-flight bout against West Ham.

Like the Hammers, Brighton have also emerged as the winners of their group in the Europa league. Their win against French outfit Marseille secured their reign in a very competitive cluster with Marseille, Ajax, and AEK Athens.

Brighton fans are surely delighted with their club’s resurgence, but the Seagulls aren’t out of the woods just yet, as clubs like Newcastle, Chelsea, and Wolves are breathing down their necks.

History

These sides have encountered each other a handful of times prior to their upcoming clash. Among them, Brighton have won more bouts with seven, while the Hammers managed to win four and tally a draw seven times as well.

In their most recent match, West Ham dominated their English rivals with a 1-3 score line at American Express Stadium. James Ward-Prowse, Jarrod Bowen, and Michail Antonio all took turns to put their names on the scoreboard, while German midfielder Pascal Groß took one for Brighton in the last few minutes of the match.

Their recent form in the Premier League have been quite similar thus far, with just three league points separating the two teams in the standings. The Hammers are riding a three-game winning streak that propelled themselves a few spots up the table, while the Seagulls demolished an inspired Tottenham in front of their home fans to overtake New Castle United at the eighth spot.

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Premier League 2023 betting odds are closely priced, where the home team, West Ham United, are the slight favourites to come out as the victors at 2.30, while Brighton are right there at 2.67 as the underdogs and are at 3.42 to draw.

These teams are only separated by three points in the Premier League table with three points, but with West Ham’s recent success, a price of 2.30 holds strong value and should be considered by punters who’ll have a look into this match.

Brighton recently had a night to remember at Falmer Stadium last matchday against Son’s Spurs and overtook New Castle in the standings in doing so, which is why a price of 2.67 to win against West Ham United seems pretty respectable for Roberto De Zerbi’s outfit.

Another line to keep an eye on is the main line for the total goals, where under 3.00 goals is priced at 1.85, which seems to be a sweet spot given their tight schedule in the past few weeks. Surely, both sides will still put up Premier League 2023 highlights, but fatigue and possible shuffles in their lineups would definitely affect their goal-getting prowess during their upcoming bout.

 

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.