Arsenal legend Paul Merson believes West Ham “punched above their weight” last season.
The former England international has issued his prediction for Sunday’s clash against Brighton with the Hammers looking to pick up their first Premier League points of the campaign.
After losses against Manchester City and newly promoted Nottingham Forest, David Moyes’ side currently sit 19 th in the table.
READ MORE: Chris Sutton expects Brighton's unbeaten run vs West Ham to continue
West Ham finished seventh in the Premier League last season but at one stage looked strong contenders for a Champions League spot after almost two months spent in the top four from late October. Instead, the Hammers had to settle for a Europa Conference League place this season.
After two consecutive league losses, Merson believes Hammers fans may start to feel nervous if they don’t pick up a win against Brighton on Sunday. Predicting a 1-1 draw, the former Gunners midfielder told Sportskeeda : “West Ham punched above their weight last season but have started the 2022-23 Premier League campaign with two losses.
“Brighton beat Manchester United in their first game of the new campaign, but you never quite know what you're going to get from them! If West Ham fail to get three points here, the nerves will start kicking in and suddenly, all the hype around their season will dissipate. That said, I can't separate these two teams at the moment, so I'm going for draw.”
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