What: West Ham vs Brentford – Premier League matchday 26
Where: London Stadium
When: Monday, February 26th, 3 PM ET
Premier League matchday 26 officially wraps up on Monday with an all-London clash between West Ham and Brentford. The kick-off is scheduled for 3 PM ET at the London Stadium. The Hammers are in dreadful form at the moment and desperately need a positive result, having lost three straight fixtures. As for the Bees, they’re also winless in back-to-back outings. This is an important encounter for both sides. Keep reading below for the West Ham vs Brentford picks.
There’s really no clear favorite here. West Ham sits at +153 odds to win, while Brentford comes back at +176. A draw is priced at +260. The Bees have been dominant against the Hammers in recent memory, winning five of the last six meetings across all competitions. Something to keep in mind if you’re betting on Monday’s game.
West Ham Struggling
It’s been a rather difficult campaign for West Ham, who are way down in 10th place in the Premier League table with a disappointing 10-6-9 record. The Hammers are a whole eight points off sixth spot Manchester United for the final berth in Europe. David Moyes’ men happen to be in atrocious shape lately, too. Their last league win came way back on December 28th against Arsenal. Since then, it’s been either draws or defeats. West Ham lost 3-0 to Manchester United early in the month before 6-0 and 2-0 defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, respectively. Yes, they haven’t scored a goal in three games and conceded a total of 11 times.
On matchday 25, the Hammers were frankly outplayed by Forest, registering a mere three shots on target. They were behind 1-0 late in the second half before Kalvin Phillips was handed a straight red, which ultimately put any chances of winning to bed. West Ham truly couldn’t be in worse form right now and it doesn’t exactly help that Brentford has their number. On a more positive note, the London outfit happens to perform better on home soil, compiling a 5-4-3 record.
One player who really needs to find his best again for the Hammers is Jarrod Bowen. He leads the squad with 11 goals and two assists, but the Englishman is goalless in the Premier League since December 23rd. Sure, other players on West Ham can produce the goods, but Bowen has proven to be the most reliable. He needs to step up. When it comes to injuries and absences, Phillips won’t be available due to his suspension, while Lucas Paqueta is expected to return. Tomas Soucek should be in action in place of Phillips.
Brentford Barely Above Relegation Zone
The pressure is on Brentford boss Thomas Frank as the Bees sit only five points above safety with 13 games left in the campaign. Brentford is sitting in 15th with a poor 7-4-14 record and has lost four of their last five Premier League games. Matchday 25 saw them fall 1-0 to Manchester City thanks to a winner from none other than Erling Haaland. The Bees barely had an opportunity and overall, struggle to score goals, netting only 35 in 25 games in 2023-24.
Unfortunately, Brentford’s schedule doesn’t get any easier as the campaign slowly comes to a close. After visiting West Ham, Chelsea, Arsenal, Burnley, and Manchester United are up next. The Bees have picked up a mere 10 points from their 12 away matches this season, which isn’t a great sign ahead of this Hammers encounter.
Also, They’ve lost three consecutive London derbies. Nevertheless, the record vs West Ham in past years should give Brentford some much-needed confidence. There are thankfully no serious injury concerns for the visitors. Ivan Toney will be the main man up top as he looks to continue scoring goals, netting four since his return from a lengthy suspension.
West Ham vs Brentford Picks
Both West Ham and Brentford are in rough shape, but I’d go with the hosts considering they do play well at the London Stadium and will be as motivated as can be to bounce back after a few horrid performances.
Quinn Allen is a journalist who specializes in writing sports betting previews. He holds a senior editor position at ClutchPoints. He has been contributing to Vegas Betting as a writer since 2022.