UEFA Europa League: West Ham vs. Sevilla Preview, Odds, Prediction

West Ham chases a one-goal deficit against Sevilla this Thursday night at the Olympic Stadium. Both teams have problems with injuries, with the note that the guests are pretty hammered with the same. As usual, that won’t and can’t be an alibi for potential elimination. Meanwhile, the Hammers see that as an opportunity to reach the final eight of the competition where the title earns a place in the UEFA Champions League.

Preview

West Ham (+120) defeated Aston Villa in the latest EPL clash that took place this weekend. It was an important victory for the Hammers, who lost three consecutive events in a row prior to this one, scoring just one goal throughout that negative stretch.

The Olympic Stadium is their stronghold, and overall, they feel much more comfortable at home, and the results are the measure of that which prove our claim. For the moment, West Ham didn’t lose in four straight, posting three wins and a draw.

Three of those events ended with under 2.5 goals, and two with the Hammers preventing the rivals from scoring. Four of their last five home victories were without a goal allowed, and that seems to be a pattern in West Ham’s performances.

Sevilla (+140) is one of the toughest teams for betting in Europe. The Rojoblancos rarely lose, but the thing is that they rarely win as well, posting plenty of draws. Though, those draws are usually on the road, and victories at home.

Over the previous 10 games, the Spaniards posted only one loss, with four wins and five draws. A vast majority of those matches were with fewer than three scores, that is, seven of them. Five were with just one side netting.

Julen Lopetegui is one of the best tacticians among all the European-based managers, and we’ve often seen him providing success because of his special game plans. It does make Sevilla’s performances a bit dull, but the results are there.

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Jarrod Bowen is out, and that is a massive blow for the hosts, because he is their best player. Vladimir Coufal and Angelo Ogbonna are out too, but their absence can be covered up.

On the other side, there is a hospital on Sevilla’s injury list. Papu Gomez, Ocampos, Lamela, Diego Carlos, Reges, Suso, Rekik, all of these guys won’t be eligible to play on Thursday night.

Head to Head Games

Sevilla carries a 1-0 lead from the previous meeting. Munir El Haddadi was the sole scorer, in the 60th minute of play. It was an open game with several solid chances on both sides. While Rojoblancos had the initiative and held the ball more in their possession, the Hammers were very dangerous from the counter-attacks.

Prediction

Sevilla is masterful when defending, with all the stalling and game delay. On top of that, they know how to keep the ball in their feet with numerous back and forth passes that drive the opponents crazy. That is why we think that this match won’t see too many goals, and that the best option for betting here would be under 2.5 scores, with the current odds set at -200.

Pick: Under 2.5 goals -200