FA Cup: West Ham Hammered with Injuries, Robins Set to Strike

Bristol City vs West Ham United

West Ham United hosted the Robins last week at the London Stadium for their FA Cup clash, which ended in a 1-1 draw. That clash saw both teams fighting tooth and nail to advance to the next round of the tournament, but instead, football fans are spoiled and will get the chance to see these two competitive outfits go at each other once again, but this time, it’ll be in the Robins’ nest.

Moyes and his team will march to Ashton Gate shorthanded due to injuries and international duties, but the Hammers are still no pushovers, especially with how good they’ve been playing this season.

Meanwhile, Bristol’s luck is finally turning around. Manning’s outfit continues to struggle in the Championship, suffering back-to-back clean-sheet losses to Milwall and Preston, forcing them to stay stagnant at the 14th spot in the league table.

Now, they face an ailing West Ham United who have a suspect defence from time to time, and Bristol will surely take advantage of this opportunity.

Talking Points

Injuries piling up for West Ham

Davis Moyes’ leading scorer, Jarrod Bowen, suffered an ankle injury when the Hammers hosted the Robins in their third-round tie in the FA Cup last week.

Bowen scored the only goal for the Hammers against Bristol and looked like he was as stellar as he could be on the pitch, but later twisted his ankle and needed medical attention. It was reported that the winger will be out during their third-round rematch against Bristol, but Moyes and the team are hopeful that Bowen’s injury isn’t that severe and he will be able to play in their Premier League clash against Sheffield on the weekend.

The 27-year-old has been in form for the Hammers this season, scoring 11 goals in the Premier League and 14 goals across all competitions. So it goes without saying that his absence will surely be a blow to Moyes and the rest of West Ham United.

If that isn’t bad enough, West Ham are also bracing for the loss of Lucas Paqueta for around two months due to a calf injury. Michail Antonio is also sidelined for six weeks due to an injured knee, and Kudus will also be unavailable as he is with Ghana, competing in the Africa Cup of Nations.

With these unfortunate blows, Moyes is eager to make some moves before the transfer window closes in hopes of keeping his team afloat and competitive, especially in the Premier League, where they have been sturdy this season in sixth place.

Opportune time for Bristol City

The Robins managed to equalise during their FA Cup bout against West Ham after trailing early after a Jarrod Bowen goal in the fourth minute of the first half.

Tommy Conway saved the FA Cup season for the Robins after scoring the equalising goal in minute 61, but it was a collective effort from the whole squad to keep the Hammers at bay to get the draw by the end of regulation.

They’re set to face the stunned Hammers once again, but it won’t be the same West Ham team when they host the Premier League contestants at Ashton Gate this midweek.

As stated above, Davis Moyes is missing a handful of key players due to injuries and international duties, and Liam Manning plans to take every advantage he can.

The Robins are struggling in the Championship, losing two matches in a row, but to their credit, they’ve fared well against a top-flight team to start their FA Cup campaign. It’s unfortunate that they’ll be facing a limping adversary in the third round replays, but they would have to strike while the iron is hot.

It still won’t be a walk in the park for Bristol, given that West Ham United are having a strong season in the Premier League and in the Europa League thus far, but it won’t be that surprising to see the FA Cup 2024 results go Bristol’s way.

History

Since 1978, the Hammers have been undefeated against Bristol City across all competitions, with a D6 W6 record. Also, West Ham have been invincible in their last six away matches against the Robins across all competitions.

In their most recent match, West Ham and Bristol ended their round-three bout in the FA Cup with a 1-1 tie at London Stadium last week. In that match, Jarrod Bowen struck early and scored the opening goal in minute four, but the Hammers failed to protect their lead and conceded a Tommy Conway goal in minute 61.

A draw has been the most common outcome between these two sides since 2011, where they tallied a draw in three of their four matchups, with West Ham garnering the only win back in their FA Cup clash in 2015.

Betting Tip

The top-flight participants, West Ham, are the favourites at 1.86, while the Championship outfit, Bristol City, are the overwhelming underdogs at 3.40, with a 3.15 price to draw as per the SBOTOP FA Cup 2024 betting odds.

Despite these single-elimination tournaments being susceptible to upsets, having a formidable Premier League team priced at 1.86 against a club in the bottom half of the Championship table holds immense value, which punters should definitely consider.

Given their head-to-head history and where they are now in their current domestic leagues, it’s a safe bet to back the Hammers in this contest.

Another great line to keep an eye on is Asian Handicap West Ham United -0.50 at 1.89. This line goes hand in hand with the 1X2 line for the Hammers, who won three of their last five Premier matches and are poised to progress to the fourth round of the tournament, as they have done in the last six FA Cup campaigns.

 

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