West Ham won their final two away Premier League matches last season
Jarrod Bowen scored in four of West Ham’s six matches against promoted clubs last term
Recommended Bet: West Ham to win and Jarrod Bowen to score or assist
Twelve weeks on from their dramatic play-off win at Wembley, Sunderland’s return to the Premier League begins with a visit from West Ham on Saturday.
The Black Cats spent half of their eight years outside the top flight in League One, but seem intent on staying up if their summer recruitment is anything to go by.
Sunderland’s summer spending has topped £130million with huge fees splashed on the likes of Habib Diarra, Enzo Le Fee, Noah Sadiki, Granit Xhaka and Simon Adingra.
West Ham will be looking to set the tone for a better campaign when they travel north for the Premier League opener at the Stadium of Light.
After last season’s dismal 14th-placed finish, Graham Potter could come under pressure if his side become embroiled in a relegation battle.
The latest Sunderland vs West Ham odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Team news
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris fielded a strong line-up in last Saturday’s 1-0 friendly win over Augsburg and could be tempted to deploy the same side again.
New signing Robin Roefs looks set to get the nod in goal ahead of Anthony Patterson with Trai Hume and Reinildo Mandava in the full-back spots.
Omar Alderete could come in alongside Dan Ballard in the centre with Xhaka, Diarra and Sadiki forming a three-man midfield.
Adingra is likely to feature on the left of a front three with Chemsdine Talbi on the right and the central striker’s position up for grabs.
Eliezer Mayenda’s form has been disappointing in pre-season, opening the door for on-loan Chelsea striker Marc Guiu to grab a starting berth.
As for the Hammers, they are likely to include summer full-back signings Kyle Walker-Peters and El Hadji Malick Diouf.
Alphonse Areola remains the number one with Konstantinos Mavropanos and Jean-Clair Todibo battling to feature alongside Max Kilman in defence, although the trio could all start if Potter deploys a three-man defence.
James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek are expected to play at the heart of the midfield, while Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville operate wide in an attack also featuring Lucas Pacqueta and Niclas Fullkrug.
The stats
Potter has a 26% win ratio at West Ham after 19 matches in charge, worse than his spells at Brighton (31%) and Chelsea (39%).
West Ham collected 13 points from a possible 18 against promoted clubs last season.
Sunderland are winless in their last eight league games against West Ham with four defeats and four draws.
Sunderland have not won their opening match in any of the last seven campaigns as a top-flight club.
However, West Ham have lost their opening match of a Premier League season more times than any other side.
Prediction
West Ham finished last season with back-to-back away wins and should relish the chance to take on the Championship play-off winners in the opening game.
The Hammers have lost only one of their last 17 matches against newly-promoted clubs, winning 13 of those.
And Potter has now had a full pre-season to work with the squad he inherited midway through a campaign that West Ham fans want to forget.
Sunderland have brought in a lot of new players in a bid to retain their hard-earned status, but performances and results have eluded them in their preparation games.
Back the visitors to take the spoils here based on their proven cutting edge in attack..
Jarrod Bowen scored 13 Premier League goals last season, including four against the promoted clubs, and he could make the difference on Saturday.
Back West Ham to win and Jarrod Bowen to score or assist at 21/10 with LiveScore Bet
The latest Sunderland vs West Ham odds are available on LiveScore Bet
