West Ham vs Brighton | PL | 30.12.25 | Prediction and Match Thread

[stubbo-admin]

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Match Centre: 

Live data by Scoreaxis

 Odds: 
WHU: 5/2
Draw: 14/5
Brighton: 11/10

 Pre-Match Press Conference: 
N/A 

 Match Preview: 
Hammers Chat

 Watch-along:
Hammers Chat

Streams:

Sport+

 If there above doesn't work go look for a Stream from the sites listed here!

https://champagne.pages.dev/docs/gettin ... ive-sports
 
 (With all live streams be mindful they can carry viruses etc.  Don't click on any ads and use a VPN).
   ----------------------------------------------------------

Well, it's the last game of 2025 in a year that few will look back on with favour or fondness.  Wrapping it up are bogey-side Brighton, who after a last minute outrageous goal in the away fixture cost us a vital victory, will fancy themselves (doesn't everyone) heading to the London Stadium.

It's another of those must win games for West Ham, and if the recovery doesn't actually commence at some point, we're fucked.  

There's been no press conference for this game, so not much to report on player availability wise.  Fullkrug is training with Milan already so he's not available.  Guilherme seems to have been ostracised for some reason despite a moderatly promising last cameo against Liverpool.  And Igor it would appear it's been decided isn't up to task.   Diouf and Wan Bissaka remain at the AFCON tournament.

Predicted Line Up:

Brighton play with a large number of overloads on the ball, and last time out we shifted to a back three quite successfully, so I'd expect to see something similar again in this game (just to get the natives uber-restless when the defensive looking lineup is announced):

Areola

Mavropanos  Kilman  Todibo

Walker Peters    Fernandes   Potts   Scarles

Paqueta 

Bowen   Summerville

Subs: Hermansen, Myers, Golambeckis, Kante, Rodriguez, Magassa, Earthy, Soucek, Wilson

Predicted Result:

It is all starting to feel a bit last chance saloon for West Ham, despite the season still having over half left to run!  Lose this game and all hope will feel lost.  Brighton though seem to be missing some key players, and this presents us a chance at least.  Brighton created almost nothing against us in the first game so I expect that gameplan and pattern to largely repeat...with the outcome to be decided on the basis of how well our Maginot Line holds up to late pressure when Brighton come on strong.

Score: West Ham 1 - 0 Brighton (Bowen)

COYI

[Ron Eff]

Summerville is making Benrahma look like he had end product. 

[Ron Eff]

The silly thing is, if we do win our next two, being Wolves away and Forest at home, we are almost a certainty to be out of the bottom three. Could be a case of “funny old game”.

Of course we might lose both!

[Sir Alf]

Nothing changes. We are still far too slow as a squad and team. We still need pace and strength upgrades in midfield, up front and at the back. We were lucky to get a point.  We dont have the squad and are a 60 min team even with our best 11 because teams with quick and accurate passing wear us out. We are not quick enough to press as a unit and as games wear on we tire. Once Wilson went off we had nothing to offer other than a pint for a counter attack.  Areola just another not quite good enough as an all round keeper in the Prem. Yes Welbeck gacked into him but he needs to attack the ball.

I have been thinking Scarles aint quite up to it but 2nd half he got stronger. Him and Potts ended up our best players along with Bowen. 

Nothing changes really though. We need pace and strength and better players for CF, another centre mid and CB. We wont get the quality needed in a Jan window and we need them Jan 1st so no chance

[Alfs]

I'm not chucking in the towel just yet. Beat Forest and we'll be 1 point away from them at worst.

[gpike]

A hard watch but although Nuno makes some strange decisions what has he to work with? A striker who is gassed at 60 mins then we have to change shape . This is of course all down to Sullivan and the board. Need 3 or 4 to come straight into the team / squad in Jan or else we are done.

[Jaan Kenbrovin]

A typical gutless Nuno second half.

 

[claret on my shirt]

Paqueta just needs to go, it's all about him. I've supported him until today but that rugby tackle he made for the penalty and a few other things he did today, just fuck off.

Ariola cost us one goal and Mavro had to save him again after flapping from another corner.

The we have Kilman, he was ok last game, but that penalty he gave away is due to the fact that he has the turning circle of the ark royal. Useless cսnt

The we have Nuno, WHY WHY WHY take Wilson off. Fuck off.

[cup of tea]

Wolves and Forest next....

If we don't get 6 points we are done

[claypole]

Sullivan gambled on the 3 promoted clubs going back down and its backfired and caught him out. The squad is poor with no way back.

[twoleftfeet]

Another opportunity goes by, we are running out of time. We need a centre forward. 

[Matt Holmes]

Seeing how lightweight we are up front 

relying on Summerville who is a good but lightweight winger.

is there a reason he can’t give Marshall at least a run?

he’d do a job surely and could improve.

young players need minutes, work and expectation placed on them to improve.

yes i know we have half a team of them now, why not chuck him in too?

[cup of tea]

Thank Everton for beating Forest....

Could have been 7 (8 with GD) adrift.

Looks like a 2 way battle between us and Forest for the drop

[honky cat]

We're going to be safe when AWB comes back, league is Pure Crap

 

 

Gets hammer of the year and then fucks off when we need him most. Cheers mate

[Tomshardware]

Bowen gives his all, Scarles had a decent game, but we didn't create much and Brighton always looked the more likely to win it.   I honestly think we may lose at Wolves and then that will really be it. 

[Keep dreaming]

We are Sooo lucky to have Paquta 

In what sense?

[Keep dreaming]

The shit bowl emptied fast...

[ragingbull]

Must win game but we did our best to fuck it up.

[honky cat]

Seeing as everyone thought we"d lose, happy with a point.

But fuck me its desperate. They're giving it their all but with no striker or defenders it seems hopeless.

 

[pdcwhu]

We are Sooo lucky to have Paquta 

[zico]

Well very frustrating again but could have been worse. We just can't defend, that said thought Scarles did well after his mistake the other day. What are Dawson, Ogbonna and Zouma up to?!

[Massive Attack]

Do fuck off Nuno, aint funny anymore. Cunts taking us down.  

[nychammer]

not good enough

Relegation nailed on barring a miracle.                    

[Keep dreaming]

3 last subs is exactly where we are as a club.

Mediocre championship squad

[goose]

The second half has been awful.

[cup of tea]

On balance we were lucky to get a point

In reality 1 point at home v Fulham and Brighton isn't going to save us.

I still have us nailed on for relegation barring a miraculous transfer window. Wolves away next, we'll lose.

We're fucked. Bring on Cardiff, Lincoln and Stockport!