Brentford v West Ham: Buzzing Bees can blunt Hammers

Bees buzzing after Chelsea win

Three wins out of four sees Brentford sitting pretty nine points outside the relegation zone, but they’ll feel like they’re top after they hammered Chelsea 4-1 at Stamford Bridge last time out.

Thomas Frank’s men have 11 points from London derbies this season and can do a first double over West Ham since 1953-54 after beating The Hammers in October.

The Bees have found form just at the right time having taken 20 games to compile their previous three victories, and even though they’re only on 33 points they already look like they’ve done enough to survive.

Hammers have to recover from Europa League

This is now where David Moyes has to earn his money as West Ham challenge on two fronts, and playing 45 minutes with 10 men against Lyon on Thursday will not help in preparation for this one.

The Hammers have lost six of their last 10 away games in the league, and that form is threatening to thwart their hopes of finishing in the top four. They head into the weekend’s fixtures three points behind Spurs having played a game more.

Moyes may have to shuffle his pack but still with victory in mind as they can’t really afford to drop many more points in their push for European places.

Not much between them in the betting

Brentford are slight home favourites at 2.757/4 with West Ham 2.915/8 to grab a welcome away win. The draw is 3.3512/5.

Under 2.5 goals is favoured at 1.865/6 and that’s come in for Brentford’s last three games at home, while West Ham have alternated between 1-0 defeats and high-scoring games over the last five away matches.

Given their Europa League efforts, Moyes will likely try and keep it tight and pinch a result and West Ham games have largely been close encounters all season.

10 of West Ham’s 15 league wins have come by just a single goal, while four of their six recent away defeats have also been by just one goal.

The other two West Ham away defeats have seen them concede in the final five minutes of the match and with possible weary legs that’s something to watch out for here.

Eriksen a massive boost for Brentford

Christian Eriksen’s return to football has been a great story, but it’s not just an emotional one as the Danes has been extremely effective on the pitch – with Brentford winning all three games he’s started in.

Eriksen has played the most passes, most passes into the box and crucial created more chances than any other Brentford player during that spell.

The former Tottenham man scored his first Brentford goal against Chelsea to make it three in three as he also scored in both Denmark games during the international break. He’s also registered an assist for the Bees.

Eriksen is 3.02/1 to score a goal for the fourth game running, and 3.7511/4 to bag an assist.

MOMENT OF MAGIC

Brentford’s Christian Eriksen scores a beauty on his Denmark return! pic.twitter.com/oXT7Vvp1lG

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 29, 2022

Ivan Toney has also seemingly benefitted from Eriksen being in the side as he’s scored five goals in four starts since coming back from injury – so he’s just 2.47/5 to score yet again.

For West Ham, Jarrod Bowen has been their stand-out performer with nine goals and eight assists in 29 Premier League games this season – adding five more goals and an assist in the cups.

Bowen is 3.7511/4 for a goal to make it a third game running he’s scored in since his return from injury, and 4.57/2 for an assist.

Whether goals are flowing or not may well depend on how West Ham go about their business and you expect Brentford to be full of confidence after recent results and trying to emulate their form at the start of the season.