天空体育 | 送上今日唯一一场英超 West Ham will be without Diafra Sakh

昨天查理的欧联杯预测一红一黑，周中欧战查理6场预测取得4红2黑的成绩，命中率已经相当可观。今天凌晨英超开赛，一起看一下另一位天空体育专家保罗的英超预测。

West Ham will be without Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll when they host Brighton on Friday Night Football, live on Sky Sports Premier League.

Carroll is suspended after being sent off in the Hammers" 1-1 draw at Burnley last weekend, while Sakho misses out with a back injury.

Javier Hernandez was also a doubt after pulling up in training with a hamstring problem, but Hammers boss Slaven Bilic hopes the summer signing will be available.

After starting the season with three straight Premier League defeats, West Ham have lost just one of their last five.

"We have improved results," said Bilic. "We have players back from injury and the players who missed a big part of pre-season have their match-fitness. We improved and we are on the right path, so it"s much better."

West Ham and Brighton sit on eight points after eight games, with the Seagulls also suffering a late setback last weekend when Wayne Rooney"s 90th-minute penalty grabbed Everton a 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium.

Newly-promoted Brighton have won two of their four home games but have picked up just one point on the road.

"It"s going to be about away form that"s going to be the most challenging," said manager Chris Hughton. "It"s a game away from home, in a big stadium, against a very talented team."

Team news

Carroll and Sakho are out for West Ham along with James Collins, who is continuing to recover from an ankle injury.（卡罗尔、萨克、科林斯三人铁定缺席）

Hernandez hopes to shake off a hamstring niggle while back-up goalkeeper Adrian has been ruled out through illness.（小豌豆埃尔南德斯有望能够出场）

Brighton hope to have defender Shane Duffy available after he was forced off with a groin problem during the second half of last weekend"s draw with Everton.（布莱顿希望中卫杜菲能够从腹股沟的拉伤中恢复过来）

Midfielder Beram Kayal (broken leg) and striker Sam Baldock (calf), who have not played this season, made their comebacks in an U23 fixture on Monday but will not feature against the Hammers. Steve Sidwell (back) is also out, along with suspended striker Tomer Hemed, who completes a three-game ban following his violent conduct charge.

Opta stats

Brighton have only won one of their seven league visits to West Ham (D2 L4) - a 1-0 win in the Championship in November 2004.

In the top-flight, Brighton have won two of their four meetings with the Hammers (D1 L1), but this will be the first such meeting since March 1983.

West Ham have won both of their previous home Premier League games on a Friday by a 1-0 scoreline - against Coventry in December 1997 and Tottenham last season.

The Hammers have kept a clean sheet in five of their last seven Premier League games at the London Stadium. However, they have shipped seven goals in the two matches in which they conceded.

Since becoming a permanent West Ham player in the summer of 2013, Andy Carroll has played just 5210 minutes of a possible 14440 in the Premier League for the Hammers (36 per cent).

Pascal Gross has been directly involved in 83 per cent of Brighton"s six Premier League goals this season (2 goals, 3 assists); the highest ratio in the division.

Paul Merson"s prediction

West Ham to win this by a goal. I watched West Ham the other week against Swansea, they fell over the line in the last minute. I look at Brighton, they play a certain way and will try hard not to be beaten, and will probably settle for a draw.

I saw Brighton at Watford, who had 10 men after no time, and Brighton still played a certain way. The longer the game goes on at 0-0, the more Brighton become favourites, because of the crowd, who will get restless that they"re not beating a newly-promoted side. But I see West Ham getting the goal before that.

Relegation-wise, Brighton are in the balance for me. They were unlucky against Everton, that would have been a massive three points.

PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0

保罗预测：西汉姆1：0布莱顿