West Ham continue their fight for Premier League survival when they welcome newly-promoted Sunderland to the London Stadium on Saturday, January 24.
The Hammers are five points adrift of safety, and after beating Tottenham last week in a London derby, they are on the hunt for back-to-back wins for only the second time this season.
Meanwhile, Sunderland are enjoying being in the upper parts of the league table, but their recent form, especially away from home, leaves a lot to be desired.
Their last trip to London ended in a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brentford, something Regis Le Bris will hope to avoid this weekend.
Explore our West Ham vs Sunderland betting tips below.
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West Ham vs Sunderland prediction: Horrid away form hand Hammers the initiative
Key stats
- Sunderland have not won any of their last six league away matches.
- Their win in the reverse fixture ended West Ham's domination of 11 Premier League head-to-head victories.
- West Ham have conceded a minimum of two goals in five of their last six league outings at the London Stadium.
- The Black Cats are the only team in the division that have not scored inside the first 15 minutes of a match.
Correct score prediction: West Ham 2-1 Sunderland
West Ham will hope that their victory at Spurs last week inspires them to go on a positive run now. Having won 2-1 last week, a triumph here is realistic. Sunderland have only won two of their 11 league fixtures, losing five in that sequence. However, they are certainly good enough to score at least once against a team that has struggled defensively.
Pre-game odds and win probability: A close encounter expected
- HOME: 6/4 (2.50) – 40.0%
- DRAW: 9/4 (3.25) – 30.8%
- AWAY: 9/5 (2.80) – 35.7%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
With West Ham occupying 18th place in the league, it is no surprise that Ladbrokes have placed the probabilities of each result close to each other. As the home team, the Hammers have a slight edge according to the bookmaker, with a 40% chance of winning the game. The visitors are not far behind with a 35.7% chance of securing three points, while a draw is least likely at 30.8%.
We have more free betting tips for today to help you out with the best possible selections.
Most recent H2Hs: Home side domination
The last meeting between the teams was in the reverse fixture earlier this season, when Sunderland were 3-0 victors. However, West Ham were unbeaten in eight head-to-heads before that, winning half of those clashes. The Black Cats’ previous win before this term came in the 2012-13 campaign, when they won 3-0 at home. The newly-promoted side have not won away to West Ham since 2011.
England Premier League 16/08/25
Sunderland
West Ham
West Ham preview: No Paqueta for the Hammers
After already informing the club of his wish to depart, it appears that Lucas Paqueta will not feature in this weekend’s fixture. Apart from him and Lukas Fabianski battling a back issue, Espirito Santo has a complete squad from which to select his best XI.
Predicted lineup: Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Mavrapanos, Todibo, Scarles; Soucek, Fernandes; Bowen, Pablo, Summerville; Castellanos
Last five matches
- Tottenham 1-2 West Ham
- West Ham 1-1 QPR
- West Ham 1-2 Nottingham Forest
- Wolves 3-0 West Ham
- West Ham 2-2 Brighton
Sunderland preview: Masuaku, Traore ruled out
After playing two games at the Africa Cup of Nations, Arthur Masuaku suffered an ankle injury, which has kept him out of action since then, and should prevent him from travelling to London. Forward Bertrand Traore also picked up a knee injury at AFCON and will miss this weekend’s clash.
Predicted lineup: Roefs; Hume, Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Mandava; Le Fee, Xhaka, Sadiki, Mundle; Brobbey
Last five games
- Sunderland 2-1 Crystal Palace
- Everton 1-1 Sunderland
- Brentford 3-0 Sunderland
- Tottenham 1-1 Sunderland
- Sunderland 0-0 Man City
Player to watch: Crysencio Summerville
The Dutch forward has featured more regularly for West Ham this season, and he has now registered three goal contributions across his last three games in all competitions. Summerville’s last three goals for the Hammers served as openers for the game, something they will look to him to do this weekend.