OPINION
Michael Owen predicted Southampton to defeat West Ham on Saturday and the pundit’s reasons for doing so, show that he is barking up the wrong tree.
In his BetVictor predictions, the former Liverpool striker shared that he thought if there was going to be a winning team in Saturday’s game, then it would be the Saints rather than the Hammers.
“This is a massive game near the foot of the Premier League table and Mark Hughes will have been delighted by the Saints win at Wigan in the FA Cup a fortnight ago,” wrote Owen in his BetVictor predictions.
“It is well-documented that West Ham have their problems on and off the pitch having lost their last three league games by a three-goal margin.
“It looks sure to be a tight, tense affair and if there is to be a winner, I feel the Saints might take the points.”
With the 17th-placed Hammers only sitting one place above Mark Hughes’ side, losing to the Saints would be a huge blow to their chances of surviving in the Premier League this season.
Especially as they’re only two points clear of their opponents on Saturday, which guarantees that a lost will see them end the weekend in the relegation zone.
If that was to be the case, then David Moyes’ side would only have seven games left in order to save themselves from dropping into the Championship.
However Owen’s prediction of a Saints win is based on the fact that the Hammers have lost their last three league games by a three-goal margin.
The pundit is failing to take into account that the Hammers will raise their game on Saturday due to what is at stake and that their team is easily filled with enough talent to earn all three points against Southampton on Saturday.
By failing to acknowledge this fact and refusing to mention that the Saints haven’t won any of their last four league games, the Hammers will surely prove Owen wrong on Saturday.
The pundit is also forgetting that while a 10-man Hammers team lost 3-2 to Southampton in their first league meeting this season, the side from East London were clearly the better team in that game.
Therefore Hammers supporters shouldn’t concern themselves with Owen’s prediction as he is barking up the wrong tree by ignoring vital information when it comes to predicting this game.