‘Bit of magic’ – Charlie Nicholas predicts winner in West Ham clash v Burnley
Charlie Nicholas has backed West Ham United to pick up all three points when they welcome Burnley to the London Stadium on Wednesday.
The Sky Sports pundit has backed the Hammers to keep their momentum with a 2-1 victory against the Clarets as they look to survive the drop.
David Moyes’ men come into this one on the back of a disappointing 2-2 draw against Newcastle, despite them taking the lead twice at St James’ Park.
Nicholas has backed the Hammers to bounce back, with Andriy Yarmolenko being named as the one to watch in East London.
“West Ham’s early performances were a bit off but they were making mistakes at the back, and that was what was catching them out,” he wrote in his Sky Sports prediction blog.
“Burnley are still unpredictable and perhaps picked up a couple of injures against Sheffield United, so risks may not be taken with another match at the weekend.
“West Ham have a golden opportunity to just about hit the safety button. Andriy Yarmolenko could produce a bit of magic to get West Ham over the line here.”
It was Yarmolenko who came off the bench against Chelsea to seal all three points in the memorable 3-2 victory recently.
If the Hammers want to keep their run going and more importantly extend their gap to the bottom three, they must beat Burnley, who looked less than inspiring against Sheffield United recently.
The Clarets kept less of the ball, had fewer shots on goal and even completed fewer tackles out of possession according to WhoScored, and were lucky to escape with a point against the Blades – something the Irons must take advantage of.
In other West Ham United news, this talkSPORT pundit has made a bold claim over the future of Declan Rice