West Ham United vs Manchester United Prediction & Betting Tips

West Ham and Manchester United are both placed next to each other in the Premier League table, and it is expected that not much will separate the two sides this weekend either. David Moyes will welcome his old side to the London Stadium with the expectation of collecting three valuable points.

Man Utd Double Chance - 1/2

Man Utd to win – 13/8

Man Utd to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 – 3/1

These odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Date: 23/12/2023

Kick-off time: 12:30

Location: London Stadium

Over the years, Manchester United have typically been very strong at home against the Hammers, and the last time West Ham won at Old Trafford was back in 2007. However, in this exact fixture last season, the Red Devils suffered a 1-0 defeat. This encounter has witnessed a 1-0 scoreline in four of the last five meetings. If you fancy that scoreline to occur once again, both sides are priced at 9/1 to win 1-0 on SkyBet.

West Ham United predicted starting XI: Fabianski, Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson Palmieri, Soucek, Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Kudus, Bowen, Paqueta.

Out: Antonio (Knee)

Manchester United predicted starting XI: Onana, Wan-Bissaka, Evans, Varane, Shaw, Amrabat, McTominay, Antony, B.Fernandes, Garnacho, Hojlund.

Out: Maguire (Groin), Casemiro (Thigh), Martinez (Ankle), Dalot (Suspension).

West Ham United

Despite juggling European football with domestic action and a rather thin squad, Moyes has done an excellent job at getting consistency out of his side, especially after losing their best player, Declan Rice, in the summer. After 17 Premier League matches, the Hammers are placed eighth with 27 points, winning eight of their games.

West Ham have had no issues going forward this season, netting an average of 1.71 goals per game, with Jarrod Bowen being the main source of goals, scoring ten. However, they have been uncharacteristically vulnerable defensively this campaign, suffering 1.76 goals per game on average and keeping just two clean sheets.

One of those came last weekend, as West Ham cruised to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Wolves at home. The hosts opened the scoring just after 20 minutes via Mohammed Kudus, who scored his second just ten minutes later. The visitors dominated the ball, having 56% possession, but Moyes’ side was dangerous on the break, which is how Bowen added the third in the second half. However, Lucas Paqueta was the star of the show, claiming a hat-trick of assists.

West Ham may opt for a similar approach against the Red Devils this weekend, flying out the blocks, hopefully scoring early on, and defending their lead. The possession should be pretty evenly split, with neither side massively dominating the ball, which could lead to an end-to-end game or a sloppy, cagey affair.

Irons manager Moyes, will be hoping for a reaction from his side, having suffered a 5-1 defeat in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals against Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday night. The ex-Man United coach has received some scathing criticism from fans and pundits for fielding a weakened side when they would've perhaps been favourites to win the tournament as a whole had they progressed to the semi-finals.

Manchester United

Erik ten Hag will be dissatisfied with the way his side has performed this season, especially after such a promising campaign last time out. The side has been lacking clear relationships all over the field, which is mainly due to the amount of injury-enforced rotation. United are out of the EFL Cup and the Champions League while sitting in seventh in the Premier League after 17 matches with 28 points, which means a defeat to the hosts will see them overtake the Red Devils in the table.

Manchester United’s Achilles heel this season has been different in each competition, which highlights the clear lack of consistency. In the Premier League, United have found it difficult to create and convert in the final third this season, with the former being the biggest issue. Ten Hag’s team has netted just 18 goals in the league, which is the same average per game as Luton Town (1.06), and every team in the top 14 in the table has netted more. On the other hand, they have only conceded 1.24 goals per game, and Andre Onana has the joint most clean sheets in the league (6).

Onana’s sixth came last weekend when Manchester United picked up a vital point as they drew 0-0 at Anfield against Liverpool in a game that the visitors simply couldn’t lose. The Cameroon international made eight saves in the game and faced an incredible 34 shots. Despite that, United showed an immense amount of togetherness and fight, putting their bodies on the line to keep the clean sheet intact. Ten Hag’s team were dominated for the most part, but they did have some opportunities after the break that they should have taken advantage of, and they could have stolen three points.

It is vital that United take courage and confidence from that draw into this weekend’s game against West Ham, as they have now set the defensive benchmark and standard for the rest of the season. It is inevitable that the hosts will have their moments in attack, so the successful low block may be utilised throughout. The main positive for the Dutch boss is that his captain Bruno Fernandes is back from suspension, which will make United much more dangerous and creative in the final third. The Portuguese international will be key if the visitors are to get anything out of the game, and Marcus Rashford could have a say in the latter stages.

Recent Head-to-Head Records:

2022/23 Season: Man Utd 1-0, Man Utd 3-1, West Ham 1-0.

2021/22 Season: Man United 2-1, West Ham 1-0, Man Utd 1-0.

2020/21 Season: Man United 3-1, Man Utd 1-0, Man Utd 1-0.

Last Five Results:

West Ham United

5-1 loss vs Liverpool (A)

3-0 win vs Wolves (H)

2-0 win vs Freiburg (H)

5-0 loss vs Fulham (A)

2-1 win vs Spurs (A)

Manchester United

0-0 draw vs Liverpool (A)

1-0 loss vs Bayern (H)

3-0 loss vs Bournemouth (H)

2-1 win vs Chelsea (H)

1-0 loss vs Newcastle (A).

Although West Ham are in good form, winning their last two home matches, that 0-0 draw against Liverpool cannot be underestimated. United are dominant against West Ham, and they should just edge the hosts on Saturday.

The final prediction is West Ham 1-2 Manchester United.

This fixture will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1 this Saturday, with kick-off at 12:30 PM.

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