Paul Merson issues ‘nightmare’ verdict in conflicting Sunderland vs West Ham score prediction
West Ham kick off their Premier League campaign by travelling to take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday 16 August.
After finishing their pre-season campaign under Graham Potter with three wins on the bounce, the most recent being a penalty shootout triumph over Lille, the Hammers will be hoping to carry this momentum into the new season.
David Sullivan and Co. have made five additions to Potter’s squad this season, with El Hadji Malick Diouf being the most exciting new player to arrive in East London so far.
Much has been made of Sunderland’s spending this summer, and Paul Merson believes it will be a tough test for Potter’s squad.
Sunderland game is a ‘nightmare’ for West Ham, says Merson
With pundits like Jamie Carragher suggesting West Ham could be in trouble next season, the game against Sunderland gives Potter’s side an opportunity to put a marker down early on in the campaign.
- West Ham finished in 14th last season on 43 points
- This was 18 clear of the drop zone
Speaking to Sportskeeda on 15 August, Merson predicts that Sunderland will be a difficult fixture for the Hammers to start the new season.
“This is a nightmare game for West Ham,” Merson said.
“When you’re a settled Premier League team like West Ham, you want to play the newly-promoted team in November, when they are dealing with the reality of the top-flight.
“This opening game makes it a leveller for Sunderland because they will be buoyed by their return to the Premier League. Sunderland will highlight this game as a ‘must-win’ for themselves, especially since they are playing on home turf.”
Despite the challenges the Black Cats will surely pose to Potter’s men, Merson expects West Ham to leave the North East with all three points, predicting a 1-0 win.
“If you are one of the newly-promoted teams, you’re looking at West Ham and Wolves as the teams you can potentially drag into the battle to avoid relegation.
“So Sunderland have to win this weekend, but I don’t think it will happen. Even though they have spent a lot of money, I expect West Ham’s seasoned Premier League campaigners to nick a win.”
- Read more: Michail Antonio opens up on future post-West Ham, spotted at Premier League training ground
West Ham should be too good to go down
On paper, West Ham should have too much quality to be involved in a relegation battle.
- Jarrod Bowen has netted 29 Premier League goals in the last two seasons combined
Although more new additions like Bilal El Khannouss would be a welcome sight in E20, the Hammers should already have enough quality in their squad as it is, for example.
However, West Ham should not simply be aiming to survive next season.
With it being Potter’s first full season in charge, he will be aiming to propel the East London outfit further up the Premier League table, with the aim of eventually restoring their place in Europe.
Sign up for the West Ham Zone WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking West Ham United news sent straight to your phone.