Manchester United vs West Ham United
Sunday night in the Premier League was almost unheard of until Covid-19 resulted in staggered kick-off times nine months ago.
Since then, it’s quite exciting to have such a football fix to round off the weekend and this clash, between the sides in second and fifth places respectively, has the genuine potential for Premier League highlights.
Both clubs harbour genuine hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League but it’s the progress of the Hammers, under former Manchester United boss David Moyes, which is making many people sit up and take notice.
Talking Points
It’s accurate to say the majority of West Ham supporters would not have been too enamoured when the Scot returned for a second spell as boss last term.
Yet here we are in March and he has the club in the European berths, on the cusp of a top four spot and in the highest position they’ve ever been at this stage of a top flight season since John Lyall’s wonders in 1985-86.
That team was spearheaded by the deadly partnership of Tony Cottee and Frank McAvennie.
Fast forward 34 years and it’s another attacking pairing that is catching the eye.
That was evident last month when they were 2-1 winners against their arch rivals Spurs, in a match inspired by the dangerous duo of Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard.
That West Ham have lost only one of their last six league matches shows why the east Londoners travel north in buoyant spirits, albeit they will miss loanee Lingard who is ineligible to face his parent club.
Antonio though is fit to play against United – he missed the two previous matches earlier this season – and can cause problems for any top flight defence.
For the visitors, Angelo Ogbonna is also out, while Ryan Fredericks, Arthur Masuaku and Andriy Yarmolenko remain doubtful.
In truth, United are showing signs of fatigue, no surprise given they have played more than 40 games already this term.
They are also struggling with injuries in attack.
This weekend they will likely have a shortage of forwards as Anthony Martial suffered a hip injury against AC Milan in the Europa League, while Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani are expected to miss out.
Their absence could result in a first league appearance for Amad Diallo, the 18 year-old who became the youngest non-British player to ever score in a major European competition for the club on Thursday night.
Dean Henderson will also continue in goals in place of David De Gea who has returned from Spain following the birth of his first child but will still be in a period of quarantine over the next few days.
This is the 50th Premier League meeting between the clubs and United have won 29 of them and West Ham just seven.
Considering they should be much fresher – this will be only their 33rd match of the campaign – perhaps Sunday will provide the ideal chance for the high-flying Hammers to take Old Trafford by storm?
History
Overall, United have 68 victories in their clashes to West Ham’s 45 with a further 32 draws.
Last season, West Ham triumphed 2-0 at home and held United at Old Trafford in the penultimate league game of the season.
After being second best for an hour, United won in East London in early December though as they came from a goal behind to score three times in 13 minutes – a game which was notable as the first in more than nine months in which spectators had been allowed into a Premier League match.
United also edged out the Hammers last month in the fifth round of the FA Cup, although they required extra-time before Scott McTominay produced the decisive moment.
The last time the Hammers won at Old Trafford was in 2007 on a day when future United star Carlos Tevez netted the only goal against the already crowned champions to keep the Hammers in the top flight.
Betting Tip
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Manchester United vs West Ham United | Total Goals 2-3 @ 1.95 |
| March 15, 03:15 (GMT+8) |
The SBOTOP Premier League Betting Odds strongly favour the hosts as you would expect.
You can back Man United 1X2 @ 1.84 or with Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 2.08, whereas the Hammers are available to tip 1X2 @ 4.40 and Asian Handicap +0.50 @ 2.09.
A re-run of last season’s 1-1 draw will earn you @ 6.40 with correct score, while a repeat of last month’s 1-0 FA Cup success is on offer @ 6.80.
This should be a close contest, especially as United are starting to pick up a few injuries amidst a hectic schedule and only played on Thursday evening in Europe.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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