Happy Hammers can outfox Leicester at the Boleyn
If there was a manager of the week trophy then Slaven Bilic and Claudio Ranieri would have been strong contenders after the first round of matches.
Having masterminded the result of the opening weekend with a 2-0 win against Arsenal at the Emirates Bilic would have got my vote, but with Ranieri a close second place after Leicester comfortably beat Sunderland 4-2.
With the sides meeting at the Boleyn Ground this weekend, home advantage means the Hammers are 13/10 favourites with Betway to take the three points, and I think that could be the difference on this occasion.
It was the outcome when the teams met there last season – Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing scoring in a 2-0 victory for the hosts – and Leicester won the reverse fixture 2-1 at the King Power Stadium.
The Foxes last won at West Ham in October 1997 and their away record last season of four wins and three draws shows that they lost approximately two-thirds of their games on the road.
Given last weekend’s result, Bilic’s homecoming, and it being the last season at Upton Park, the hosts are guaranteed to have vociferous support.
Now that the distraction of the Europa League is behind them expect the Hammers to be sitting near the Premier League summit tomorrow evening.
▀ Pointers…
West Ham at 13/10 (Betway)