West Ham United play host to Southampton on Boxing Day potentially requiring all three points to retain their spot in the top five of the Premier League standings.
Meanwhile, the Saints are without success in their last six top-flight fixtures, leaving the visitors down in 15th position ahead of the trip to the London Stadium.
Match preview
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With a hectic schedule and several injuries to key players, it was somewhat inevitable that West Ham would eventually encounter an inconsistent run.
Nevertheless, David Moyes would have expected far better than a return of five points from six Premier League games, the solitary win coming at home to Chelsea.
Michail Antonio's lack of form in the final third has hurt the Hammers, as will his coronavirus-related absence over the Christmas period, but it gives other players an opportunity to show that Moyes should not rely heavily on the forward.
Jarrod Bowen netted a brilliant goal during Wednesday's 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup, although he has also struggled for consistency in the final third with that strike representing just his fifth of the campaign.
On a positive note, Moyes was left encouraged by the performance in North London, and it may be enough to lift his players ahead of what will be regarded as must-win game on Sunday.
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Up until the start of November, there were signs that Southampton had fully recovered from their slow start by collecting 10 points over a four-match period.
However, just three points have come from the following six fixtures, heaping the pressure on Ralph Hasenhuttl with just three wins being recorded from 17 games this season.
Although just five points separate ninth and 15th, Southampton have not looked like a side who are capable of putting together the kind of results which can quickly move them up towards mid-table.
Chelsea loanee Armando Broja continues to be the bright spot of an underwhelming campaign, the 20-year-old having now scored four times from just 621 minutes of top-flight football.
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Team News
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Antonio's participation for West Ham is dependent on recording two negative coronavirus tests later this week, but the forward may not be risked from the start even if he is available for selection.
Having been limited to starts in the Europa League this season, Andriy Yarmolenko may be given a chance down the middle, while Pablo Fornals and Sead Benrahma will both hope to feature after dropping down to the substitutes' bench in midweek.
Vladimir Coufal, after suspension, and Ben Johnson, after injury, are expected to occupy the full-back positions.
Despite positives being taken from the 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace, Hasenhuttl will consider making several alterations.
Fraser Forster may replace Willy Caballero if he has fully recovered from injury, while Theo Walcott could be recalled on the right flank.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabainski; Coufal, Dawson, Diop, Johnson; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma; Yarmolenko
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Caballero; Livramento, Salisu, Lyanco, Walker-Peters; Walcott, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Redmond; Broja, Tella
We say: West Ham United 2-1 Southampton
Despite the difference in league positions, everything points to this being a close game. Southampton will fancy their chances of causing West Ham problems in the final third, but we are backing the Hammers to battle their way to a hard-fought win.
Darren Plant
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a West Ham United win with a probability of 46.95%. A win for Southampton had a probability of 28.66% and a draw had a probability of 24.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a West Ham United win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.38%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (9.36%) and 2-0 (7.65%). The likeliest Southampton win was 1-2 (7.03%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.46%). The actual scoreline of 2-3 was predicted with a 2.3% likelihood.
