EPL Betting: West Ham United vs. Portsmouth FC

December 25, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Soccer Betting 

Relegation rivals West Ham United and Portsmouth FC are set to collide on Saturday in a match that will be of huge importance to both in gaining valuable survival points. West Ham United held their own admirably against Chelsea FC at the weekend, taking a point of the Blues – a result that was decidedly better than most would have expected of them considering the miserable season they are having. Portsmouth, on the other hand, outdid West Ham United by taking all three points from a struggling Liverpool FC during last week’s Premier League action. Still, the result was not enough to pull Portsmouth out of the trenches.

So, a good week for the Hammers and Pompey all things considered, but can the bottom two sides make it count this week?

Soccer Betting Line:

West Ham United -½ +115 +115 2½ O +105 U -125 Draw +225
Portsmouth FC +½ -135 +240 2½ O +105 U -125 Draw +225

Match Time: 08:00 A.M. Eastern Time Saturday December 26, 2009

Venue: Boleyn Ground

Soccer Betting Verdict: This match is going to be a nervy affair as neither side wants to move in a negative direction. Perhaps, none more so, than West Ham United, who are 19 th in the table but only a point clear of 20 th Portsmouth. A loss for the Hammers would be calamitous, as they would hit the Premier Leagues rock bottom.

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West Ham United snapped a three-match losing streak against Chelsea FC when they drew 1:1 with the Blues at Boleyn Ground. They have to take some confidence from that result and make it count against Portsmouth surely. But fact is they have been moving in the wrong direction in the table for some time and there have been few convincing signs that they are on the mend.

While West Ham United have been on a decidedly negative trend these past few months Portsmouth has managed to turn things around in a positive way. They have improved on form recently but because they lost so much ground at the start of the season, the results are yet to affect the bottom line. Indeed, if they continue with some measure of success during the next few weeks they will see it reflected in a much better standing in the Premier League table.

Soccer Free Picks: West Ham United are given the edge in this match (+115 at BetUS) and because they have been better at home than on the road they have a good shot to win this match and widen the gap between them and relegation rivals Portsmouth. In their last six home matches, they have gone 2-2-2.

Portsmouth have been unable to get any sort of run going – unless you considering a losing streak a run. They have managed to claw their way back within a few points of safety with interspersed wins and draws at home and on the road. Last week they managed a coup with a victory over Liverpool and you have to believe they will fancy their chances against West Ham United. As such, they do seem rather tempting at +240 to win outright. For my part, I like the draw between these two sides only because both will be fearful to risk too much. So the draw at +225 is the recommended play.

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