West Ham v Genk predictions, free tip & Europa League analysis

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for West Ham v Genk in the Europa League on Thursday.

Where to watch

BT Sport 2, 8pm Thursday

Best bet

West Ham to win & under 3.5 goals
1pt 6-5 Coral & Ladbrokes

Team news

West Ham
Alex Kral has tested positive for Covid-19 and is sidelined, while Vladimir Coufal is a doubt. Mark Noble, Ryan Fredericks and Tomas Soucek have all trained and are in contention. Nikola Vlasic is expected to start.

Genk
Defender Daniel Munoz is suspended, while Simen Juklerod and Joseph Paintsil face late fitness tests.

Match preview

West Ham are coping well with the challenge posed by a hectic schedule and can take full control of Europa League Group H with a convincing victory over Genk.

The Hammers may be relative novices when it comes to European competition but they are thriving and already find themselves at the head of the outright betting following effortless 2-0 successes over Dinamo Zagreb and Rapid Vienna.

David Moyes is taking the Hammers’ Europa League test seriously and although he may be tempted to ring the changes, he looks determined to maintain their 100 per cent start in the competition.

Star striker Michail Antonio has started each of West Ham’s two Europa League wins, as has defensive protector Declan Rice, and those two talismanic figures may be relied on to lead by example again.

Moyes has worked tirelessly over the summer to bolster West Ham’s squad depth and he looks to have succeeded with strong competition for places virtually all over the pitch.

The Londoners recorded a fourth win in five games at Everton on Sunday and the 1-0 scoreline provided them with their fifth clean sheet from their last eight fixtures.

And that may not bode well for Genk, who appear to be going through a mini crisis.

Genk started the campaign with lofty ambitions, having won a domestic cup and they ran Club Brugge close in the title race last season, but optimism has petered out.

Despite being able to hold on to most of their leading assets, Genk have suffered four losses in five games and after 11 outings find themselves sixth in the Jupiler League.

One of those defeats was a 3-0 hiding at home to Dinamo Zagreb on matchday two, while they have also endured three straight losses on the road.

John van den Brom’s side have conceded 12 goals across their last five encounters and their inability to deal with set pieces is an area the physical Hammers will be looking to exploit.

Punters may want to latch on to one of West Ham’s aerial specialists getting on the scoresheet, but backing the in-form Premier League hosts to prevail in a game featuring three or fewer goals looks the best bet on offer.

The Hammers have excellent shape and organisational skills and each of their last eight matches has gone under 3.5 goals.

Key stat

Both teams have scored in only one of Genk's last four matches.

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