Southampton vs West Ham United

West Ham United’s hopes of steering away from the bottom half of the Premier League table are on the line as they head to St Mary’s Stadium to meet rock-bottom Southampton on Boxing Day.

Southampton’s last-ditch attempt to avoid Premier League relegation under wartime manager Ivan Juric commenced with a spirited 0-0 draw at Fulham. Despite arresting a woeful three-game losing league streak, a seventh consecutive winless outing in the top flight (D2, L5) left Southampton nailed to the bottom of the standings over Christmas. Already eight points adrift of 17th-placed Leicester City, the Saints desperately need only their second league triumph this season (D3, L13) to bolster their survival hopes. However, that’s easier said than done, with Southampton going winless across their last five home meetings with West Ham (D2, L3). As if that’s not troubling enough, Juric’s men have conceded precisely five goals in two most recent top-flight matches at St Mary’s (L2), ominously losing to London clubs on both occasions.

That’s music to West Ham’s ears, though the visitors aren’t in good shape after back-to-back 1-1 draws against Brighton and Bournemouth left them in the Premier League’s lower reaches over Christmas. Julen Lopetegui’s men have substantially struggled on the road this season, going winless in seven of their last eight matches outside the London Stadium (D3, L4). A lack of quality and composure in the final third saw the Hammers score under 1.5 goals in each winless outing during that period, which has ominously been the case on their last five competitive visits to Southampton! Three of those five encounters featured under 1.5 total goals, highlighting the potential for another tepid contest.