West Ham United vs Viborg Predictions

• West Ham United scored 60 Premier League goals last season – a tally only bettered by six clubs in the division.
• The Hammers beat a -1 handicap in all six of their victories en route to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals last season.
• Viborg have already shipped seven goals in five Danish Superliga games, and had the fifth-worst defensive record in that division last campaign.

Hammers set for another European tour

Having provided plenty of thrills en route to the last four of the UEFA Europa League last season, David Moyes’ West Ham begin their first UEFA Europa Conference League campaign against Danish outfit Viborg on Thursday, looking to bounce back from successive defeats at the start of the Premier League season. Despite those results, the Irons appear strong favourites to seize a first-leg advantage.

West Ham were desperately unlucky in their 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, dominating possession as well as racking up 18 shots, hitting the woodwork twice and missing a penalty. The Irons, who scored 60 Premier League goals last term – the seventh-best tally in the division – will likely go strong for this match, and having beaten a -1 handicap in all six of their Europa League wins last season, will likely be too strong for the Danes.

Viborg sit fifth in the Danish Superliga after five games of the new campaign, but a tally of seven goals conceded in league action does not bode well for a trip to face superior opponents at the London Stadium. Indeed, Viborg shipped 43 goals in 32 league games last season – more than all but five Danish top-flight teams, and look hard pushed to compete with the Premier League outfit.

Irons set to seize advantage

Only Arsenal, Manchester City and Eintracht Frankfurt have beaten West Ham in their last 10 matches on home soil, and a side which has improved in the transfer market since recording routine wins over the likes of Lyon, Genk and Dinamo Zagreb in Europe last term should have few problems here.

We’re backing West Ham to beat a -1 handicap on Thursday, taking the pressure off next week’s second leg amid a busy Premier League schedule. A 3-0 home win, meanwhile, looks a value correct score play after the Irons scored multiple goals in seven separate European games last term.