VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS WEST HAM VS SAMPDORIA DOWN
Played on 9.8.2014 in 2014/15 season
Mohamed Diame scores a superb goal as West Ham beat Sampdoria 3-2 in the Marathonbet Cup
The last of West Ham’s pre-season games ended in a 3-2 win for Sam Allardyce’s side over their Italian opponents. They trailed 2-1 in the game with less than a quarter to go before Diame’s cracking strike brought them level. Youngster Reece Burke’s last gasp winner gave them a win in front of their home fans.
West Ham starting eleven v Sampdoria: Adrian, Tomkins, Collins, Reid, Downing, Nolan, Noble, Kouyate, Cresswell, Zarate, Cole
Sampdoria starting eleven v West Ham: Da Costa, De Silvestri, Salamon, Gastaldello, Cacciatore, Soriano, Palombo, Krstici, Gabbiadini, Okaka, Eder
The Hammers’ pre-season has been a mixed bag. They lost both their games in their pre-season tour of New Zealand (losing 2-1 to Wellington Phoenix and 3-1 to Sydney FC).
They then returned to take part in the Schalke Cup, where they started well by beating their fancied hosts on penalties. However their bid for the title was thwarted by a 2-0 loss to Malaga in the subsequent game, leading them to finish third in the tournament behind the Andalusians and local rivals Newcastle.
How will West Ham go in the league? You’d expect them to survive comfortably, and we could see a more attractive brand of football played by Sam Allardyce following the signings of Enner Valencia and Mauro Zarate over the summer. It is not in Big Sam’s DNA to play attractive football, but he certainly has the players at his disposal if he wants to play a more crowd pleasing style. The likes of Jack Collison, Joe Cole, Alou Diarra and George McCartney have all left the club, but the core of the side is still intact, and new signing Valencia has already expressed his desire to help the Hammers make their name among Europe’s elite.
Last season, they also had a great run in the League Cup, reaching the last four before losing 9-0 on aggregate in the semis to Man City. Something similar this season might be a bonus and not a given, but they’ll definitely try their best for an encore.
Will Andy Carroll’s unavailability at the beginning of the season affect West Ham? Or will the likes of Zarate and Valencia adapt quickly to life in the Premier League and make up for his absence? Big factors to consider if you’re into football betting for the Hammers.
Our thoughts are that they’d definitely survive, and might be able to finish in the top half of the table.