Premier League: Free football betting tips and odds as we preview West Ham v Huddersfield

19:56 · MON September 11, 2017

David John banged in more winners on Saturday and again on Sunday - don't miss his best bet for West Ham v Huddersfield tonight.

West Ham v Huddersfield (2000BST, Sky Sports Main Event)

The nightmare scenario for West Ham has become a reality as three away games to start the Premier League all ended in defeat as they prop up the table with zero points and not a huge amount more in the way of confidence.

A 3-0 defeat at Newcastle before the international break was about as lame as it gets and a turbulent final few days of in-house squabbling during the transfer window leaves the Hammers once again in a state of disarray.

Manager Slaven Bilic has refuted claims over him already throwing in the towel but his back is very much against the wall ahead of an opening game at a London Stadium hardly renowned for its home comforts last season.

Slaven Bilic

Despite all of the above, the layers expect a positive response from the hosts against the recently promoted upstarts with them priced up at odds-on for a very welcome three points.

Patience may already be wearing thin among the notoriously fickle West Ham fans so the trick is trying to get a handle on what sort of display they are going to produce – the feeble dross served up on Tyneside or a far more spirited, committed effort like the one delivered by 10 men in a 3-2 defeat at Southampton.

The uncertainty makes West Ham a prohibitive bet at the price but their predicament is not a million miles away from that of recent conquerors Newcastle, who managed to deliver a convincing performance on the back of an extremely negative build-up.

Andy Carroll could be back as well having got two weeks of training under his belt following a groin issue with a caveat from the team’s medical staff he "won’t be thrown in at the deep end".

Any time on the pitch would be a huge bonus for the physical striker and we wait to see if a partnership with Javier Hernandez will be as effective as it looks on paper.

Carroll's potential presence will mean an additional handful at the back for the Terriers but three clean sheets to start life in the top flight is excellent despite riding their luck a little last time in the goalless draw at home to Southampton.

David Wagner scooped the August Manager of the Month award on the strength of masterminding seven points from a possible nine and the German’s claim quite early in the summer that his team had already developed a tremendous spirit and unity has proven to be right on the money.

David Wagner: Manager of the month

He probably had fewer players away on international duty than other clubs at this level but did not sit back and have a break as he travelled to Hamburg and rolled over Altona 93 3-0 in a friendly just to keep his players nice and sharp.

Midfielder Tom Ince (likely to get a fiery welcome after his dad Paul's rocky relationship with West Ham back in the day) has said this is by far the fittest squad he has been involved in and Wagner's "gegenpressing" system is just the style to unsettle a shaky home side and crowd.

Ince is quite interesting to break his duck in front of goal this season having popped up in a threatening position once or twice already, but I am going to side instead with the visitors collectively at a whisker of odds-on in the double chance betting.

Prediction: West Ham 1-1 Huddersfield