Big Match Breakdown: AFC Wimbledon v West Ham
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Preview, odds, and tips ahead of the cup clash
West Ham United head across London this evening to take on AFC Wimbledon in the second round of the EFL Cup.
It’s been a pretty awful start for the Hammers who’ve lost all three league games so far. Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping for a gee-up tonight against the Dons.
You can catch the action live on Sky Sports Football from 7:45pm. And the Coral News Team have a Big Match Breakdown of the game for you to enjoy.
Head-To-Head
This is the first time AFC and West Ham will have played each other. However, the original incarnation of Wimbledon had a decent record over the more illustrious London neighbours.
The Dons managed a draw in each of the last three clashes at Selhurst Park against West Ham.
Likely XIs
Manuel Pellegrini is likely to ring the changes here despite badly needing a win at Kingsmeadow.
Marko Arnautovic has a muscle injury and won’t play. Mark Noble is also struggling to make it. And Michail Antonio also suffered a knock at the weekend.
Declan Rice, Andriy Yarmolenko, and Javier Hernandez are expected to come into the starting XI. For Wimbledon, Neal Ardley has a fully fit squad to choose from. And he’s likely to set out in a 4-4-2 formation.
Key Battles
After the David Moyes era, it’s taking longer than expected for Pellegrini to get his charges to settle into his style of football.
The Hammers have been like a sieve at the back, conceding nine goals in the three losses. And that’s in addition to scoring just two goals.
In that sense, Wimbledon could find it relatively easy to shut the Premier League side down. Big games will be needed from the likes of Yarmolenko and Robert Snodgrass on the flanks for West Ham.
Match Odds
The Dons are 6/1 underdogs to win over 90 minutes. West Ham are 1/2, with the Draw available at 13/4.
The Hammers have made it to the quarter-finals of this competition in each of the last two seasons. And Pellegrini will be banking on a half-decent performance here to boost morale.
However, this is a potential banana skin of a game, and AFC will know they’re in with against a leaky, low-on-confidence team.
This is the type of clash that could go all the way to extra-time. The 1-1 Correct Score is 7/1.
In the Goalscorer markets, Chicharito could be in with a shot of breaking the deadlock. The deadly Mexican is 5/4 to notch Anytime.
For Wimbledon, Joe Pigott has managed a pair of strikes in his first five games this term. He’s 3/1 to add to that tally Anytime.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
