RELEGATION-THREATENED West Ham welcome Burnley to the London Stadium on Wednesday. Daniel McCulloch (@DMcCulloch1984) shares his favourite fancies.
West Ham vs Burnley | Wednesday 8th July 2020, 18:00 | BT Sport
This is a tough one for me as I think that West Ham will most probably win the game but cannot be having them at odds-on. Unlike many of their rivals at the bottom of the table, the Hammers have managed four points from their last two game, with the victory over Chelsea a particularly welcome boost. One more victory may be enough for David Moyes’ side and he will be hoping that he can get that here.
Burnley are potentially only two points away from European qualification so it isn’t as though they have nothing to play for. However, the home side clearly have the greater need, which is probably why they are so short to win this encounter.
I originally had a look at Both Teams To Score but with 10/11 the best price and such a bet landing in a league-low 12 of 33 (36%) of Burnley’s matches, it is not something I will side with.
Instead, I will pick a couple of First Goalscorer bets. I did consider Thomas Soucek, with the Czech having managed two goals since lockdown but that ship seems to have sailed a little, with 12/1 the best price on the midfielder. My votes therefore go to the two likely number nine’s in this encounter: Michail Antonio and Chris Wood.
Antonio has just four goals in 19 games for West Ham this season but he has scored in his last two and was FGS against Newcastle last time out. His pace and strength will undoubtedly cause the Burnley backline problems so at 6/1 each-way (1/3 anytime) with Bet365 that gets my vote.
The same firm offer the same price on Wood, who is likely to be back for Burnley. Wood has 31 goals in 88 appearances for the Lancashire side, including 11 in 26 this term. Six of those were the first goal so 6/1 seems plenty big enough to me.
Best Bets
West Ham vs Burnley – Michail Antonio to score first (6/1 each-way Bet365)
West Ham vs Burnley – Chris Wood to score first (6/1 each-way Bet365)
