‘El Sackico’ awaits odds favourites Lopetegui and O’Neil in Premier League sack race

Fans of football cliche are revelling in the latest development of the Premier League sack race. With both West Ham and Wolves struggling so far, the managers of the two sides are facing mounting pressure as we approach the business end of the season. 

Referred to lovingly as ‘El Sackico,’ the term describes a game where two teams having a torrid old time have to face each other. You know where this is going. The stars have aligned, and Julian Lopetegui versus Gary O’Neill is coming on Monday evening. 

These highly anticipated games usually result in the losing coach parting ways with his club and the victor being given another few games to turn things around. Essentially, its got the potential to be a ‘winner stays on’ sort of game. The loser gets the boot, and the winner gets probably three games maximum to try piece some form together.

Monday’s hosts are The Hammers, who haven’t exactly been smashing it this season. After another summer of substantial investment, they are sitting 14th in the table on just 15 points. Their results leave them just 6 points above the drop zone, and aren’t far away from what most would consider to be dangerous territory.. 

Their latest loss serves a damning summary of their performance so far. Fellow strugglers Leicester beat them 3-1 on Tuesday night and are now just two points behind Lopetegui’s men. Prior to kick-off, Leicester had sat just one point clear of the relegation places. 

Wolves experienced an eerily similar result in their recent midweek outing. Everton have looked destined to go down for the last few seasons, and this campaign so far has looked no different, with the Toffees suffering hugely from a lack of goals. 

Sean Dyche’s side managed to put four past Jose Sa in the Wolves net, all coming with no reply. Everton had scored just ten goals in their previous 13 games before this week's fixture. They even had a goal ruled out rather dubiously. Some would say a result like that is a sackable offence in itself. 

The bookies are echoing the thoughts of many punters and have Lopetegui, followed closely by O’Neill, in the top spots of the ‘Next Manager To Leave Post’ odds.

BetVictor are offering the best odds for the Spaniard to be the next Premier League gaffer dismissed at 4/7, but some bookmakers are offering as short as 1/4. Such reflects how little faith there is in the 58-year-old to get his side going. 

The Englishman is placed slightly higher, and backing him to be the next coach out-of-work certainly provides better value. Skybet has him placed at 3/2, but the best odds you’ll find when you look around will be at 5/2. He may be worth a punt if you think his side will be on the losing end next week.

It’s expected the game will be a cagey affair and will probably be separated by a single goal (if either team can manage one). Lopetegui will hope he can beat his former club with the help of starman Jarrad Bowen, while O’Neill will rely on in-form Matheus Cunha to try spur on his side to solidify his standing as Wolves boss with three points.