Astra’s late equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw in their home leg gives them a chance of progressing through to the Europa League group stages. However, the Hammers managed to secure a vital away goal.
West Ham managed to crown their first Premier League match at their new stadium with a 1-0 win against Bournemouth. The atmosphere was rocking at the former Olympic Stadium last weekend and I would expect similar here. As mentioned on my previous tips about West Ham, it is vital that they start playing in Europe on a regular basis so that they can move forward as a club.
Manager Slaven Bilic has already confirmed that he will name a stronger side this Thursday compared to the one that played out the 1-1 draw in Romania.
Despite securing a decent result against their English opponents, Astra were battered 5-1 by CFR Cluj in Sunday’s Liga I match which will no doubt have dented their confidence. This thrashing meant a very poor start to the season continued and the 2015/16 Romanian champions are sitting in a concerning 11th position, seven points off top spot with only five games played.
Whilst Astra will feel they have a good chance of going through if they can score the away goal, I am not sure they’ll manage to do so. With Slaven Bilic picking a stronger side, the Hammers should be able to deal, far better than they did last week, with the minimal threat that their Romanian opponents possess.
You can get the home team to win to nil at a very reasonable even-money.
The other bet I would go for is Michail Antonio to score anytime. The fullback/winger was hauled off at Chelsea after a dismal performance but managed to make amends by scoring the winner against Bournemouth. The former Nottingham Forest man has generally been in good form since joining the club last season and he has a good chance of scoring on Thursday night.
See more tips here.