Premier League Matchday 31: West Ham vs. A.F.C. Bournemouth

Start Time: 8:00 a.m. CST on April 23, 2023

Location: Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, England

FanDuel Betting Odds: West Ham +165; Draw +210; Bournemouth +180

West Ham (15th in the Premier League); Manager: David Moyes

Recent Results: 4-1 win vs. K.A.A. Gent (Europa Conference League); 2-2 draw vs. Arsenal (Premier League); 1-1 draw vs. K.A.A. Gent (Europa Conference League).

Bournemouth (14th in the Premier League); Manager: Gary O'Neil

Recent Results: 3-2 win vs. Spurs (Premier League); 1-0 win vs. Leicester City (Premier League); 0-2 loss vs. Brighton (Premier League).

FotMob Projected Lineups:

West Ham advanced to the semi-finals of the UECL earlier this week, but they still face potential relegation in the Premier League. The Hammers will aim for three vital points on Sunday when they travel to the south coast to take on A.F.C. Bournemouth.

When West Ham went down 1-0 to Gent on Thursday, the mood inside the London Stadium was tense, to say the least. For much of this poor season, the silver lining had been our UECL performances, and we were slated to exit the competition early if the result stood. However, a second-half surge from the Hammers, including a wonderful solo-run goal from Declan Rice helped us advance 5-2 on aggregate.

Back in the Premier League, West Ham faces a fellow relegation candidate on Sunday in Bournemouth. The Cherries have been toward the bottom of the table for the majority of the season after sacking Scott Parker in August. It was clear their squad wasn't at a Premier League level, but they've had a resurgence as of late to help catapult themselves out of the relegation zone.

Victories away at Leicester and Spurs helped Bournemouth jump to 14th place on 33 points. Despite conceding 59 goals so far this season, goals from Philip Billing (7) and Dominic Solanke (5) have earned crucial points for the Cherries.

In the reverse fixture back in October 2022, West Ham earned a 2-0 win at the London Stadium behind goals from Zouma and Benrahma.

For the Hammers, I'm looking forward to seeing how they'll build on the positive momentum from the midweek. Paqueta, Rice, and Bowen were all excellent on Thursday, and I'll be interested to see how aggressive they are against a shoddy Bournemouth defense.

I don't want to get ahead of myself, but either side that wins this match virtually seals their Premier League survival. The Hammers would jump to 34 points, while the Cherries would be on 36. But I think on Sunday, West Ham will go one step closer to recovering from this nightmarish season.

Premier League Matchday 31 Prediction: West Ham 3 Bournemouth 1

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