The Manuel Pellegrini era gets underway at the London Olympic Stadium as the Hammers welcome Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth to East London. West Ham were resoundingly thumped 4-0 at Liverpool last time out in what was an eye-opener for many of their new recruits whilst Bournemouth impressed in their 2-0 win over Cardiff and should arrive full of confidence.
English Premier League, Round 2
West Ham vs Bournemouth
London Olympic Stadium
Saturday 18th August 2018
Kick-off: 15.00 GMT
Match Winner Odds:
West Ham – $2.2 – Sky Bet
Bournemouth – $3.6 – Sporting Bet
Draw – $3.7 – Bet Stars
West Ham
The Hammers look to have entrusted Manuel Pellegrini this season – giving the Chilean plenty of money to spend and their faithful seem to be cautiously optimistic this term.
Headline signings Jack Wilshere, Andriy Yarmalenko and Felipe Anderson look to have given the Irons an extra dimension on paper – now they need to translate that to the pitch.
Javier Hernandez is prolific at Premier League level and the Mexican will be pushing for a starting berth having been left on the bench at Anfield last weekend.
Form: Last 5 Matches: L D W D W
Bournemouth
The Cherries continue to impress under the stewardship of Eddie Howe and once again their priority will be survival in the top flight.
Their 2-0 home win over Cardiff last week was a timely reminder of the attacking prowess they possess and they will be looking to impose that on West Ham here.
Callum Wilson has endured an injury hit time at Bournemouth but he opened his account for the season last time out and will be desperate to continue that form here.
Form: Last 5 Matches: W W W L L
Head to Head
West Ham hold the lead in the relatively short history between the sides with a 5:2 advantage whilst another 4 matches have finished as draws previously.
Both meetings between the teams ended as draws last season – 1-1 at the Vitality Stadium whilst the corresponding fixture was a highly entertaining 3-3 draw on Boxing Day last year.
Predicted Starting Line Ups:
| West Ham | Bournemouth |
| Lukas Fabianski (GK) | Asmir Begovic (GK) |
| Pablo Zabaleta | Adam Smith |
| Fabio Balbuena | Steve Cook |
| Angelo Ogbonna | Nathan Ake |
| Arthur Masuaku | Charlie Daniels |
| Jack Wilshere | David Brooks |
| Andriy Yarmalenko | Andrew Surman |
| Mark Noble | Dan Gosling |
| Felipe Anderson | Ryan Fraser |
| Marco Arnautovic | Josh King |
| Javier Hernandez | Callum Wilson |
Odds and Predictions
Both managers are known for their attacking styles and this could be a highly entertaining game with goals galore.
Both teams to score – YES – looks a wise move at $1.7 with Bet 365.
Marco Arnautovic is prolific for West Ham and the Austrian will be keen to get his season up and running here.
Marco Arnautovic to score anytime looks a practical inevitably at $2.75 with Sporting Bet.
This could well be one of the games of the weekend and with all the attacking talent on display – goals are to be expected.
Over 2.5 goals in the game looks an excellent move at $1.88 with Marathon Bet.
West Ham are still coming to terms with Manuel Pellegrini’s playing style and Bournemouth could well exploit that and pick up a point on the road.
The match to finish as a draw is a very good punt at $3.7 with Bet Stars.
Score Prediction
West Ham 2 – 2 Bournemouth – $15 with Bet 365.
Top Betting Tip
West Ham will be desperate to get their first win of the season in front of their home fans but Bournemouth possess plenty of quality and will frustrate for long periods and could well leave the capital with a point.
The match to finish as a draw and both teams to score looks a very worthwhile punt at $4.6 with Bet Victor.
