West Ham United vs. Gent: Preview, Odds, Predictions (April 20)
Initial Thoughts
West Ham United will hope to book a place in a second successive European semi final when David Moyes’s side welcome Belgian outfit Gent to the London Stadium on Thursday night.
The Narrative
West Ham were massive underdogs when they welcomed table-topping Arsenal in the Premier League last weekend.
Mikel Arteta had praised David Moyes in the buildup, recalling with pride his six seasons at Everton playing under the Scotsman’s stewardship between 2005 and 2011.
Unfortunately for Arteta, the West Ham managers returned the favor by masterminding a stunning performance against the Gunners. The Hammers fought back from 2-0 down at the London Stadium and only narrowly missed out on the win after Michail Antonio headed over in the dying seconds.
That 2-2 draw saw Arsenal drop two massive points in their hunt for a first Premier League title in 20 years, with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City now just four points behind with a game in hand.
As well as throwing the title race wide open and putting Arsenal’s Premier league celebrations on ice, West Ham’s spirited comeback will also give them hope of improving their fortunes this season, both domestically and in Europe.
The Hammers have had a season to forget in the Premiership, losing more than half of their matches and currently in 15 place, just four points above the drop zone.
Having fallen into the relegation places after a 2-0 loss to Spurs in late February, Moyes’ side have been steadily picking up points and gaining places in the league.
And after coming away with a 1-1 draw after their visit to Belgium to take on Gent in the Europa Conference League quarter final first leg last week, West Ham will feel confident they can ground out a win at the London Stadium on Thursday night.
Nuts and Bolts
Gent are currently third in the Belgian top flight, with Hein Vanhaezebrouck’s side aiming to make it nine games unbeaten in all competitions when they take on West Ham tomorrow.
The Belgian outfit battled back into last week’s tie after Danny Ings’ opener on the stroke of halftime. But after Hugo Cuypers' leveler, Gent couldn't do enough to force the win that some would argue they deserved on the night.
West Ham have suffered only a single defeat in their last eight matches at the London Stadium, and they’re on an 11 game unbeaten streak in Europe as well.
Thursday night’s matchup will be the fourth occasion these sides have faced each other, with West Ham racking up two wins and a draw across those earlier meetings.
With the Hammers also the second-highest-scoring team in the competition this season, David Moyes’ side are in pole position to book a place in the semi-finals tomorrow night.
Homestand Picks
All odds courtesy of Northstar Bets
Michail Antonio anytime goal (+200)
With two clear chances against Arsenal on the weekend, we’re backing the English striker to find the net against a much lower quality defense on Thursday.
After that massive performance against the Gunners, the London Stadium will be jumping for this European tie and with that boost from the stands, a West Ham win looks likely tomorrow.
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