West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini would have been disappointed with the performance against Watford last time out, especially after the Hammers had won four games in a row prior to the defeat.
A trip to the South Coast won’t be as easy as it might have been a few weeks ago either with new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl having revitalised Southampton in recent games.
The Irons have a couple of new injury concerns, in addition to the list of long-term absentees. Fabian Balbuena had to be substituted midway through the first half against the Hornets due to a knee injury and will be assessed by the club’s medical team.
Javier Hernandez also had to be subbed 15 minutes from time on Saturday due to a hamstring problem and is also a doubt to face the Saints. Ryan Fredericks (shin), Jack Wilshere (ankle), Marko Arnautovic (hamstring), Andriy Yarmolenko (Achilles), Winston Reid, Manuel Lanzini and Carlos Sanchez (all knee) are all still out of contention.
For Southampton, Hasenhuttl is hoping to have defender Ryan Bertrand back fit for Thursday. The England international has missed the last five league games with a back injury. Cedric Soares is still a doubt due to a calf strain.
Midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is suspended after picking up five yellow cards since the start of the season.
The bookmakers see this as a hard one to call. The Saints are slight favourites and are 13/10 with Betfred. A draw is 13/5 at BetVictor while West Ham
West Ham’s Predicted XI To Face Southampton:
Fabianski, Zabaleta, Ogbonna, Diop, Cresswell, Snodgrass, Noble, Rice, Anderson, Antonio, Carroll
Southampton’s Predicted XI
McCarthy, Valery, Yoshida, Vestergaard, Bednarek, Targett, Lemina, Romeu, Redmond, Ings, Armstrong
Predicted Score – 2-1 to Southampton
