FA Cup: Bees Aim to Heap More Woe on Moyes’ Hammers

Brentford vs West Ham United

One of the marquee matchups in this weekend’s FA Cup third round is without a doubt the London derby between Premier League sides Brentford and West Ham United.

Thomas Frank’s Bees are buzzing yet again as they head into the match winning three of their last four games, including a 2-0 win away at West Ham at the end of December.

The Hammers’ horrendous form has seen them drop dangerously close to the relegation zone, which has turned up the pressure on manager David Moyes.

Talking Points

Bees buzzing again

After a stretch of just one win in eight Premier League games, Brentford are very much back on track. They are unbeaten in their last four games, with big wins over Man City, West Ham and Liverpool. They probably should have made it four wins in four, but they surrendered a two-goal lead at home against Tottenham on Boxing Day.

Despite missing top scorer Ivan Toney (12 goals) due to injury, the Bees still rocked the Reds 3-1 last time out, with Toney’s replacement, Yoane Wissa, and Bryan Mbeumo both getting on the scoresheet.

Toney, who has made headlines after being charged for his alleged gambling activity, had been in fantastic form prior to his injury with five goals in his last four games. He starred in Brentford’s 2-0 win over West Ham last week as he scored one and set up another.

However, it remains to be seen whether he will be fit to produce FA Cup 2023 highlights against West Ham again, and if he is, if coach Thomas Frank will decide to play him in this cup tie against the Hammers.

Toney played and scored in Brentford’s Carabao Cup tie against Gillingham just before the World Cup break, but the Bees went out on penalties.

Brentford have a fine home record this season, with four wins, four draws, and just one loss, which came against Premier League leaders Arsenal.

West Ham’s winless skid hits six

West Ham are in trouble. They are winless in their last six Premier League games and are perilously close to the relegation zone. The Hammers were held to a 2-2 draw away at Leeds this midweek, which snapped their five-game losing skid.

This putrid run has put the pressure on manager David Moyes, who has been unable to get the most out of this side despite big investments in Nayef Aguerd, Lucas Paqueta, and Gianluca Scamacca.

Aguerd, who starred for Morocco in the recently concluded World Cup, finally made his first start for West Ham after missing most of the season with an ankle injury, while both Paqueta and Scamacca scored against Leeds, which are promising signs.

Scamacca’s goal was his first since early October, and the Hammers will be hoping he can finally get going as they are desperately in need of a consistent goalscorer. West Ham have scored just 15 goals in 18 games, which is tied for the fourth-fewest in the Premier League.

Aside from scoring goals, West Ham have also been awful away from home thus far. They have lost six of their nine games outside the London Stadium, with two draws and just one win.

History

West Ham and Brentford have met twice in the FA Cup, but that came nearly a century ago in 1927. Brentford forced a fourth round replay after holding the Hammers to a 1-1 draw at Upton Park. And the Bees would go on to complete the upset as they beat West Ham 2-0 in the replay to advance to the fifth round.

And in more contemporary times, Brentford have had the upper hand over West Ham since arriving in the Premier League. They are a perfect 3-0 against the Hammers, with six goals scored and just one conceded.

Betting Tip 

The SBOTOP FA Cup 2023 betting odds have Brentford billed as slight 2.39 favourites to beat West Ham at home. The Hammers are priced at 2.63, while a draw is 3.10.

After six games without a win, David Moyes and West Ham simply need to beat Brentford in order to build some sort of positive momentum.

Their performance against Leeds showed that there is still some fight in the Hammers, and they should be ready to bring more effort and intensity against the Bees.

 

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