Top four hopefuls West Ham play host to struggling Watford for matchday 24 of the Premier League at the Olympic Stadium in East London. West Ham were spared their blushes against Kidderminster in the FA Cup on Saturday, narrowly escaping 2-1 against the non-league side thanks to two stoppage time goals at the end of both regulation and extra time. The hosts have been enjoying a fine season, sitting fifth in the league table while earning a first round bye in the Europa league knockout stages after topping their group. This is a golden opportunity for West Ham to get back on track after losing two consecutive matches in the league, a pair of results which saw David Moyes’ side relinquish their top four position to Manchester United.
Watford are running out of time if they hope to save their season from finishing in relegation to the Championship. The Hornets have only managed two points from their last nine matches after a 0-0 draw against fellow relegation threatened Burnley on Saturday. Both teams have been involved in a number of high scoring matches this season and each rank towards the top of the league in terms of average total goals per match - West Ham fourth highest with 3.13 and Watford eighth with 3.00. The visitors in this match hold arguably the weakest defense in the league, conceding 40 goals in 21 matches and only just recorded their first clean sheet of the season in their last match against Burnley. On the other side, the hosts have conceded their fair share of goals and have only kept one clean sheet in their last five matches.