Stockport v West Ham predictions, free betting tips and where to watch

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Stockport v West Ham in the FA Cup third round on Monday.

Where to watch

BT Sport 1, 8pm Monday

Best bet

West Ham to win & both teams to score
1pt 2-1 general

Team news

Stockport
Ashley Palmer and John Rooney return from suspension. Midfielder Harvey Gilmour (knee) is the only injury concern for the hosts.

West Ham
Sebastien Haller and Robert Snodgrass have left the club. Defender Ryan Fredericks and goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski are doubtful.

Match preview

It is almost 15 years since West Ham came tantalisingly close to winning the FA Cup when they lost on penalties to Liverpool after a stunning injury-time equaliser from Steven Gerrard.

Hammers fans have had little to cheer about in 14 subsequent tilts at the cup, with a couple of quarter-final defeats in 2011 and 2016 their best efforts since the 2006 final.

Indeed, in the eight seasons since they returned to the Premier League, West Ham have lost in the third round three times and their last three FA Cup runs were ended by fourth-round defeats to West Brom, then of the Championship, and League One sides Wigan and Wimbledon.

For many of those eight seasons, the cup has been an unwelcome distraction from the serious business of avoiding relegation.

However, David Moyes's men are in a strangely comfortable position in the league, 15 points clear of the bottom three and just three behind fourth-placed Tottenham.

That should enable Moyes to have a decent crack at the cup and he has named a strong squad for the third-round trip to National League Stockport.

Pessimistic West Ham supporters won't be taking anything for granted bearing in mind their club's recent struggles against lower-league opponents.

As well as their FA Cup woes, they lost 4-0 at League One Oxford in last season's EFL Cup although this term's run in that competition featured comfortable wins over Charlton (3-0) and Hull (5-1) before a 4-1 defeat at Everton.

The Hammers should be full of confidence after losing only three of their last 15 Premier League matches – away to champions Liverpool and Chelsea and at home to Manchester United.

They kicked off 2021 with a 1-0 win at Everton and Moyes has plenty of attacking quality at his disposal, even after the sale of record signing Sebastien Haller to Ajax.

Stockport are also enjoying a solid league campaign, admittedly at a far lower level. They have won seven of their first 14 National League games, scoring 22 goals, and have seen off Chesterfield 4-0, League One Rochdale 2-1, and Yeovil 3-2 after extra-time on their way to the third round.

John Rooney, younger brother of Wayne, has scored four goals – three from the penalty spot and one from inside his own half – during County's cup run and striker Alex Reid is another threat with seven goals in his last 14 appearances.

West Ham have kept clean sheets at Leicester, Sheffield United, Southampton and Everton in the Premier League this season but Moyes is likely to test the depth of his squad in this tie.

Given Stockport's decent form and the Hammers' propensity for making things difficult for themselves against lower-league opponents, the odds about an away win with both teams scoring look appealing.

Key stat

Stockport have failed to score in only one of their last ten home matches in all competitions.

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