West Ham United vs Manchester United
The Red Devils have been second for much of the season. Now, they can rubber stamp the spot and the Champions League qualification that goes with it.
Manchester United visit West Ham and former boss David Moyes at the London Stadium in their final away game of the Premier League season. And although Jose Mourinho’s side is coming off a surprising defeat to Brighton, football betting sites largely back them to get that precious point they need to fend off the runners-up chasers.
Talking Points
A second-place finish would be the Red Devils’ highest finishing position in five years. They haven’t cracked the top two since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, during which they topped the English top flight.
Now, Mourinho and co. are just a point away from securing the spot for good. Fourth-placed Tottenham still have an outside chance of getting the runners-up spot if they win their final two games and Man United lose theirs, but that looks impossible now.
United are nursing key injuries to Romelu Lukaku and winter signing Alexis Sanchez. While the two are making great progress on their recovery, they aren’t expected to play in their remaining league games as the club prepares them for the FA Cup final with Chelsea.
With that said, Mourinho is likely to rely on Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford for goalscoring. The Portuguese manager made an indirect criticism to the two youngsters last week for their poor performance against the Seagulls, so they will surely be motivated to bounce back and prove themselves.
On the other hand, for West Ham, they’ll be playing with less pressure having assured their safety with a win over Leicester City last week.
It could still be an important game for Moyes though, especially with his future up in the air. The Scot manager, who was in charge of United after Sir Alex’s retirement, needs a statement win here and a perfect ending to the season to have any hope of saving his job as Hammers coach.
West Ham’s top brass are reportedly waiting for the dust to settle first before deciding Moyes’ future with the club. Hence, it’s undoubtedly a challenge for the 55-year-old to show them he can guide the club in the right direction.
History
This meeting is a repeat of their season opener back in August, though that’s an event the Hammers would want to forget. Manchester United opened the 2017-18 Premier League season on a high note by thrashing West Ham 4-0. Romelu Lukaku scored a double back then while Paul Pogba and Martial chipped in a goal each.
In hindsight, that result could have been a sign of bad things to come for West Ham under Slaven Bilic. The team only won twice in 11 games under the Croatian boss before West Ham pulled the trigger and sacked him, immediately replacing him with Moyes.
West Ham, of course, are different now than the team that Manchester United took down. Moyesy, despite all the struggles and inconsistencies, did well to give the Hammers another year at the top flight.
It should also help the Hammers that they’ll be playing at home where they have been playing solidly over the past few months, recording only two defeats out of eight league matches this 2018.
For what it’s worth though, West Ham haven’t beaten any of the top-four teams this year, with their best result a 1-1 draw with Tottenham last January.
What are the odds?
Despite the huge deficit in their previous meeting, football odds on online gambling sites suggest a tight affair between them. West Ham are given a +0.75 start that pays at 1.86, while Manchester United are at 2.07 with that handicap.
Over 2.75 is at 2.17 while Under 2.75 pays at a paltry 1.75, which goes to show that a repeat of Man United’s four-goal win is unlikely—at least according to online bookmakers.
However, with West Ham predicted to be aggressive given their position, a draw is a possible result. After all, Mourinho would be happy with such result given that all he needs is a stalemate—and the point that comes with it—to finish the job.
A 1X2 Draw pays at odds of 3.40, with a First Half 1X2 Draw giving a modest 2.15.
Other notable match-ups
Week 31
- Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United (May 10, 03:00 GMT+8): The Spurs are only a point behind Liverpool and will overtake them with a win over the Magpies. Tottenham won their first meeting with two unanswered goals.
Week 35
- Chelsea vs Huddersfield Town (May 10, 02:45 GMT+8): The Blues are having a late resurgence, having won their last four league outings. A win over the Terriers will level them with Liverpool on points.
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
