Manchester United take on West Ham this weekend at Old Trafford, where a win for the hosts will see them overtake the Hammers in the Premier League table. When the two sides met earlier this season, David Moyes’ side defeated the Red Devils 2-0.
Man Utd
The Red Devils have struggled for consistency all season, with Erik ten Hag being forced to rotate his side frequently. However, the return of key players, such as Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez, has helped the side massively.
United have won two of their last four top-flight games, but their most recent game was a 4-3 victory over Wolves on Thursday. United were cruising to a victory until a second-half penalty turned the tide. Kobbie Mainoo rescued the three points with minutes to go after weaving through the defence.
Nevertheless, United are currently still seventh in the Premier League after 22 matches. They score an average of 1.27 goals per game, but they have scored at least twice in five of their last six. Ten Hag’s side are also relatively solid at the back, conceding 1.45 per game, but they have only kept a clean sheet in one of their last seven.
West Ham
The Hammers have been excellent this season, considering they have had to balance their thin squad around two competitions. Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus have stepped up recently, and they will be the ones to watch on Sunday.
Having said that, West Ham’s cup commitments seem to be catching up to them, as they’ve not won any of their last five matches. Their most recent game was a 1-1 home draw against Bournemouth, in a tie that saw very few chances.
Nonetheless, Moyes’ team are still ahead of United in the table at this moment by one point. They’re actually less solid than last season, as they’ve conceded 1.50 goals per game. The Hammers are also relatively decent in attack, as they net 1.64 goals per game.
Verdict?
This game should be tight, but both teams scoring seems like a likely outcome. The togetherness of the United side after that last-gasp winner could pull them over the line.
Also, West Ham have only won against United once in the last 17 years, with the last Premier League win at Old Trafford coming in 2007.
The final prediction is Man Utd 2-1 West Ham.
