West Ham v Rapid Vienna predictions: Hosts can make speedy start against Rapid

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

Where to watch

BT Sport 1, 8pm Thursday

Best bet

West Ham-West Ham double result
3pts 5-6 BoyleSports

Team news

West Ham
Ryan Fredericks (groin) is likely to be the only injury absentee for the Hammers. Issa Diop, Manuel Lanzini and Nikola Vlasic are among those pushing for starts and Alphonse Areola could get a chance in goal.

Rapid Vienna
Christopher Dibon, Richard Strebinger, Oliver Strunz and Lion Schuster are all sidelined for the visitors.

Match preview

West Ham celebrated their Europa League group-stage debut with a convincing 2-0 win away to Dinamo Zagreb and they should waste little time asserting their superiority over Rapid Vienna at the London Stadium.

Michail Antonio gave the Hammers a 21st-minute lead in Zagreb before Declan Rice doubled their advantage early in the second half and they racked up two more away wins last week, beating Manchester United 1-0 in the EFL Cup and scoring an injury-time winner through Antonio at Leeds in the Premier League.

While the Hammers are going well on the road, winning six and drawing two of their last eight away games in all competitions, their home form is also strong.

Their last match in east London ended on a deflating note as Mark Noble's late penalty was saved by David de Gea, sealing a tense 2-1 league win for United, but David Moyes's men should be a cut above their Austrian visitors in Group H.

Moyes will need luck with injuries if his side are to maintain their high standards in Europe as well as the Premier League but the Hammers are in good health at the moment, allowing the Scot to shuffle his pack without weakening the team significantly.

There is impressive depth in the attacking department where Manuel Lanzini, Andriy Yarmolenko and new signing Nikola Vlasic are able understudies if regular starters Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals are rested.

Czech midfielder Alex Kral, who already has 25 international caps at the age of 23, could slot in alongside either Rice or compatriot Tomas Soucek, and the Hammers have been leading at half-time in 11 of their last 15 home matches.

Rapid Vienna conceded a 90th-minute goal to lose 1-0 at home to Genk on matchday one but they have made a dismal start to the Austrian Bundesliga season and are joint-bottom of the table with eight points from nine games.

Rapid have lost their last three league matches, letting in seven goals, and have conceded 25 times in their last ten away matches in the Europa League. They were 3-0 down at half-time in last season's 4-1 defeat at Arsenal and can expect another tough trip to London.

Key stat

West Ham have scored the first goal in nine of their last 11 home matches.

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