In their respective matches following Christmas Day, West Ham drew 2-2 at home to Brighton while Southampton drew 0-0 against Fulham.
The Hammers are in fine form, losing only two of their last eight games. West Ham came back from a goal down twice against The Seagulls, as Ben Johnson equalised first before Tomas Soucek levelled the scores again in the 80th minute.
Southampton are also flying in the league and have only suffered two defeats in the last 13 league games. The Saints have the opportunity to go as high as 4th with a win against the Hammers.
Team News
Southampton
Southampton manager, Ralph Hasenhüttl, has revealed that Danny Ings, Nathan Redmond and Jannik Vestergaard are all doubts for the last game of the calendar year.
West Ham United
Michail Antonio is set to miss out again through a continuous hamstring injury. Arthur Masuaku will also be missed after completing a successful knee operation.
Predicted Lineups
Southampton: McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Bertrand, Stephens, Bednarek; Ward-Prowse, Armstrong, Diallo, Walcott; Long, Adams.
West Ham United: Fabianski; Coufal, Ogbonna, Balbuena, Cresswell, Johnson; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Haller, Benrahma.
Ones to Watch
Southampton - Stuart Armstrong
The Saints attacker has been vital to their start to the season, registering two goals and two assists to his name. The Scotsman adds a real threat to the swashbuckling side.
Without Redmond and Ings, the midfielder could take the limelight on Tuesday night and play a significant role in Southampton’s bid to push up the table.
West Ham United - Tomas Soucek
The defensive midfielder has scored four times so far this season and is West Ham's joint-top goalscorer. He has also helped the Hammers win four clean sheets in this campaign.
Since arriving at the club, the Czech Republic international has been a vital signing made by David Moyes. Soucek is linking up perfectly with Declan Rice, and he has rarely put a foot wrong for the club, with 7 goals to his name. The midfielder can definitely put a strong tackle in, control the defence and also contribute going forward.
Previous Meeting
West Ham 3-1 Southampton (29/02/2020)
The Hammers won the game very comfortably, as Michail Antonio sealed the three points with a great finish to cap off a strong West Ham performance at the London Stadium.
The Hammers went 1-0 up thanks to a goal from Jarrod Bowen on his first start, as Bowen carried the ball, before smartly putting it past Alex McCarthy.
Obafemi equalised for Southampton with a great finish into the top corner.
Sebastian Haller put the hosts ahead, heading the ball up in the air, out of reach of McCarthy, and eventually squeezing it into the goal from a tight angle.
Midway through the first half, Antonio killed the game, smashing the ball into the back of the net in a one-on-one situation.
Where to Watch
UK residents will be able to watch the game live on Amazon Prime on Tuesday 29th December 2020 from 5:30 PM with the game kicking off at 6:00 PM.
Prediction
Southampton 1-2 West Ham United