Europa League Tips | Lusitanos v West Ham | 9th July 2015

HOW will West Ham perform in Andorra this Europa League Thursday? Chris Graham (@chrisgraham79) shares his best bets.

Lusitanos v West Ham | Thursday 18:30

I was disappointed to call the first leg of this game widely wrong by predicting an emphatic West Ham win. In the end the London club only won 3-0 but there's no doubt they were barely at half pace throughout the match.

So how do you tackle the return fixture? Well once again the Hammers will be taking it easy with regard to personnel on the pitch and indeed in the dugout. Although new manager Slaven Bilic has travelled to the game it may well be academy coach Terry Westley in charge again.

West Ham are best price 1/20 to win the game and that's no surprise when you analyse the form of their opponents. Over the last four European campaigns they've been knocked out at the first hurdle by an aggregate of 11, five, nine and four goals respectively. The home legs of those four ties produced a draw, two one goal defeats and a six goal loss.

Despite these respectable home results Lusitanos haven't faced a side as strong as West Ham, even a reserve West Ham side. The likes of EB/Streymur and NK Varazdin just don't compare.

Lusitanos have failed to score in six of their nine European games and in three of their four home matches. Last Thursday they failed to register a shot on target and produced just two overall so I'm happy to assume they won't score in this match.

West Ham took a while to break them down last week and it may be that the minnows raised their game in the lustrous surroundings of Upton Park, back on home turf and with the tie dead they may not be as well tuned.

I'm happy to back West Ham -3 here at odds against. Another negative for Lusitanos is the fact the team that finished above them in the league last season were knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday night by a side from Gibraltar. This could be a hammering.