West Ham will drop into the Premier League relegation zone this weekend after losing their crunch match against fellow strugglers Southampton, Bing has predicted.
The Hammers will slip one place to 18th following Saturday’s game at the London Stadium, with the Saints leapfrogging them to safety with just seven matches left this season.
Microsoft’s search engine gives the South Coast club a 75% chance of victory, with West Ham handed just a 6% chance.
Southampton won the reverse fixture in August 3-2, with Charlie Austin scoring the winner in injury time after West Ham striker Marko Arnautovic was sent off. After a nine-match run that featured seven goals and three assists, the Austrian has now gone three top-flight appearances without being involved in a goal.
Writing on West Ham website this week, captain Mark Noble said: “We need everyone to be together and to be behind the team, because positive vibes really do inspire the players on the pitch… I can understand the frustrations some of you are feeling. This season has not gone how we’d all hoped it would, but I would ask you to channel your passion to get behind the team, help us get through the season with our Premier League status intact, and we can sit down and reassess things in the summer.”
West Ham will join Stoke and West Bromwich Albion in the bottom three.
The Potters will lose at Arsenal, who have an 89% chance of victory, which would keep alive their slim hopes of a Champions League place. Stoke are winless in their last 17 Premier League matches in London (drawn six and lost 11), since a 2-1 triumph at Tottenham in November 2014. To make matters worse, Arsenal’s current run of 12 consecutive home top-flight wins against Stoke is their longest winning run in their history in the top tier.
Stoke will remain in 19th following Sunday’s match, above West Brom, who will slump to defeat against Burnley. The Clarets have a 45% chance of taking all three points at The Hawthorns, compared with just 26% for West Brom. Burnley have won 48.8% of their Premier League points away from home this season – 21 out of 43 – a league-high.
Crystal Palace will only remain outside the relegation places on goal difference after being swept aside by Liverpool. The Reds have a 67% chance of victory at Selhurst Park, tightening their hold on third place and a Champions League spot.
Above them, Manchester City will move to within two wins of clinching the Premier League title by beating Everton at Goodison Park. The Sky Blues have a 75% chance of taking all three points in a win that will see become only the third team to beat all the other teams in a single Premier League season, after Chelsea in 2005/06 and Manchester United in 2010/11.
Manager Pep Guardiola is currently on 49 Premier League wins from 68 matches. If his team beat Everton, he will be the second-quickest manager to reach 50, after Jose Mourinho’s 63 matches.
Second-placed Manchester United have an 89% chance of taking all three points at home to Swansea.
Sunday’s big match will see Chelsea share the points with Tottenham, in a result that will leave Spurs in fourth (a Champions League spot) and Antonio Conte’s men in fifth (a Europa League place). Bing believes there is a 59% chance of a draw, with Tottenham given a 36% chance of winning at Stamford Bridge, and Chelsea handed just 5%.
Elsewhere, Leicester will beat Brighton (76% chance), Newcastle will overcome Huddersfield (81% chance) and Bournemouth will sweep aside Watford (43% chance).
Bing creates its predictions using a complex algorithm that analyses player performance.
