West Ham will hope to give its fans some Christmas cheer when they welcome Brighton to the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Brighton have somewhat been a bogey team of West Ham since their promotion to the Premier League. The Hammer have failed to beat them on each occasion and drew with the South Coast side on both occasions last season.
Adam: West Ham 3-1 Brighton
The Hammers have shown resiliency when bouncing back from their few losses this season, and this match should provide an opportunity to do so yet again, especially with Lamptey out. I expect a coming-out party for Benrahma and all three goals coming from the often-maligned Sebastien Haller! Merry Christmas indeed!
Justin: West Ham 2-1 Brighton
I have been surprised that Moyes hasn’t reverted back to a 3 CB system. While we played well as a team against Chelsea, I still think the back 5 system was working. The defence were keeping clean sheets, which will always result in points.
I would like to see us revert back to this system and have a front three of Benrahma, Bowen, and Haller use the counter-attack to score goals. Brighton have been struggling to collect points, but their performances have been fairly decent.
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They only have a -6 goal difference and their expected points are at 22, a 10 point difference from their actual points, most in the Premier League so far. Brighton’s defence is solid with young fullback Tariq Lamptey and centre-back Lewis Dunk leading the way. Neal Maupay has been effective in front of goal and has even been a bit unlucky.
Brighton have become a bogey team of sorts for West Ham since their introduction to the Premier League. In fact, West Ham have yet to beat the Seagulls in Premier League play. Will this be the day that all changes? I think so.
The Hammers have responded to losses well, winning every game proceeding a loss in all competitions this season. That trend will continue with a gritty, determined 2-1 win. Haller and Benrahma score for the Irons.
Louis: West Ham 1-1 Brighton
Firstly, our record against Brighton since they gained promotion in 16/17 is atrocious, without a win in six games against the Seagulls.
Secondly, our performances at home as of late – bar the first half against Man Utd – have been lacklustre and, while Brighton haven’t been picking up points, their general play has certainly deserved more and they can definitely hurt this West Ham side.
I think a draw is the most likely result which most Hammers fans would view as disappointing after Monday’s 3-0 loss against Chelsea.
Henry: West Ham 3-2 Brighton
The Hammers and the Seagulls have been great at creating lots of scoring opportunities this season. Both sides, however, have struggled at times to be clinical when presented with goalscoring opportunities.
This game could be the match when they hit their stride in front of the goal and it could be a case of outscoring each other. Though Moyes’ side does have more firepower than the South Coast side and if they are on target, it could be enough to land a big three points.
While some may doubt him, Sebastien Haller is capable of magic when he is backed up against the wall. Now, this might be one of his last chances to impress before Antonio is back in the line-up. Haller could be the match-winner with something special.