West Ham travel to sixth-tier Kidderminster Harriers for the fourth round of the FA Cup. Jake Pearson has previewed the fixture, picking out his best bet.
Football betting tips: FA Cup
1.5pts Both Teams to Score ‘NO’ at 3/4 (BetVictor)
The last time these two sides met the match ended in an 8-0 victory for West Ham, with a 19-year-old Declan Rice coming off the bench early on to demonstrate what the vast majority of football fans now know, namely that he is very good at football.
Whether he will take to the field against Kidderminster Harriers on Saturday afternoon remains to be seen, however, with the Hammers fully embroiled in the battle for a top-four spot, as well as a round of 16 Europa League fixture looming on the horizon.
For Kidderminster, this is a free hit.
They are the lowest ranked side left in this season’s FA Cup after they knocked out Sky Bet Championship side Reading in the last round, beating the Royals 2-1, and they will be hoping to continue their historic journey.
In terms of the league, Kidderminster sit in third position in the National League North and hold a game in hand over the two sides above them.
Overall, they are enjoying a terrific season, but here they face a very accomplished, very efficient West Ham side, who are unlikely to give them a moment’s rest.
The biggest issue with tipping in FA Cup matches is the uncertainly surrounding team selection, but David Moyes has traditionally taken the cup competitions very seriously, and even this season – against Leeds in the last round of this cup, as well as in every stage of the Carabao Cup – the West Ham manager has fielded a comparatively strong starting XI.
With the Hammers not having played a competitive match since January 22, either, this represents a good opportunity to get some minutes in the legs of players that will be heavily relied upon in the coming months.
West Ham are by no means expected to field their strongest team, but it is unlikely Moyes will leave this game too much to chance; he is the kind of manager eager to compete on all fronts.
Also, a quick glance at the two starting line-ups Moyes selected in last season’s FA Cup matches – against Stockport and Doncaster – give further encouragement to the assumption that the Scottish coach will not field a completely weakened side; Michail Antonio, Declan Rice, Thomas Soucek, Manuel Lanzini, Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals were all handed starts across the two matches.
Matches involving West Ham have taken something of a chaotic turn of late, their six Premier League fixtures prior to the winter break seeing a total of 23 goals, with five goals scored on four separate occasions, but the Hammers should have too much quality to allow Kidderminster to create any real opportunities of note.
Creating chances isn’t really the forte of the Carpetmen, either, with their expected goals (xG) tally much lower than their actual goals for tally.
With Moyes expected to take this match seriously, backing BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE ‘NO’ at a standout price of 3/4 makes appeal.
Kidderminster v West Ham score prediction and best bets
- 1.5pts Both Teams to Score ‘NO’ at 3/4 (BetVictor)
Score prediction: Kidderminster 0-3 West Ham (Sky Bet odds: 13/2)
Odds correct 2120 GMT (01/02/22)
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