West Ham v Gent predictions: Hammers can seal semi-final spot

Where to watch West Ham v Gent

BT Sport 2, 8pm

Best bet

West Ham to win & under 3.5 goals
1pt 13-10 BoyleSports

West Ham v Gent odds

West Ham 8-13
Gent 19-4
Draw 14-5

Odds correct at time of publishing

West Ham v Gent team news

West Ham
Angelo Ogbonna is suspended after an accumulation of yellow cards and Kurt Zouma is expected to take his place in defence. Gianluca Scamacca is likely to miss out.

Gent
Hein Vanhaezebrouck rotated his team for their league game with Mechelen on Sunday but has no absences to contend with heading into the second leg.

West Ham v Gent predictions

Having pulled away from the Premier League relegation zone courtesy of a 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday, West Ham can switch their focus back to the Europa Conference League when hosting Gent in the second leg of their quarter-final tie.

The Hammers created some breathing space between them and the bottom three in the Premier League at the weekend, coming from 2-0 down to take a point off the Premier League leaders and looking at some stages as though they could win the game.

That point should have eased the tension around the club and they should be in good spirits ahead of this clash against Gent, who held them to a 1-1 draw in Belgium last Thursday.

Gent were indeed unlucky not to win the home leg, having won the shot count 20-4 and impressed on the counter-attack at the Ghelamco Arena.

The Belgians also looked sharp in the last 16, dismantling Istanbul Basaksehir 5-1 on aggregate, and West Ham knew they would be in for a tough time across both legs.

But the Hammers have been a different beast at the London Stadium this season with six of their eight league wins coming on home soil.

They have also won all four of their home games in this term's Europa Conference League against FCSB, Anderlecht, Silkeborg and AEK Larnaca, scoring at least twice in three of those affairs.

Gent, however, should put up more of a fight and can draw confidence from the fact they were the first team to play West Ham in this season's Europa Conference League and avoid defeat.

With this tie on a knife edge, both teams could adopt cautious approaches to the second leg and goals could be at a premium with West Ham ultimately coming out on top, so back a home win and under 3.5 goals in the capital.

Key stat

West Ham are unbeaten in 11 matches in this season's Europa Conference League.

Probable teams

West Ham (4-3-3): Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Rice, Downes, Paqueta; Benrahma, Ings, Bowen.
Subs: Fornals, Cresswell, Antonio, Lanzini, Cornet, Kehrer, Soucek.

Gent (3-4-1-2): Roef; Torunarigha, Okumu, Piatkowski; Castro-Montes, Kums, De Sart, Fofana; Hong; Cuypers, Orban.
Subs: Odjidja-Ofoe, Hauge, Lagae, Samoise, Fortuna, Depoitre, Tissoudali.

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