Burnley vs. West Ham United – English Premier League, May 3, 2021

With just five games to go, West Ham needs to win as many points as possible to keep its outside chance of a top-four finish intact. David Moyes’ side might even be six points behind Chelsea by the time this game kicks off on Monday.

They will also be coming up against a Burnley team that showed last week that it should never be taken for granted – and is always a tough opponent.

The betting have not taken Burnley’s sensational victory last week into consideration too much with the pricing of this fixture, making West Ham the favorite to come away from Turf Moor with all three points.

This is a tired Hammers side and the home win and draw bets might be worth a closer look.

Chris Wood was unplayable last weekend as he helped himself to a hat-trick as Burnley thrashed Wolves 4-0 away from home. It was nothing more than the New Zealand striker deserved. He is definitely a Premier League striker whose talents fly under the radar thanks to the club he plays for.

Burnley was by far the better side all over the pitch, though. Sean Dyche has continued to put out a team that will always give a good account of itself, even when it comes up against supposedly superior opposition.

West Ham’s thoughts are very much concentrated on this campaign right now. Champions League qualification is still just about within its grasp – but there needs to be a renewed effort over the next few weeks if that is to be achieved. The problem is that David Moyes’ squad is being stretched to the limit.

The good news is that defender Fabian Balbuena’s red card received in the 1-0 home defeat to Chelsea last weekend has been overturned. But influential players like Declan Rice and Michail Antonio will still probably be missing. West Ham just doesn’t have the squad to compensate for those kinds of losses – and that could make all the difference on Monday and for the rest of the season.

If West Ham doesn’t win this game then it is probably unlikely that it will finish in the top four this season.

The defeat to Chelsea last weekend was pivotal, and I’m not sure it can break back into the Champions League places. That quest will be made even more difficult on Monday if it cannot get past a confidence-filled Burnley side.