West Ham v Man Utd – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

West Ham host Man Utd in the English Premier League on Saturday. The Hammers have been inconsistent of late, and David Moyes has just two wins in 12 matches against the Red Devils since they sacked him. Erik Ten Hag’s have just one win in six matches and have failed to score in their last three.

West Ham Form

West Ham have had a slight dip of late. They went six matches without defeat with five wins in that streak. They beat Olympiacos and TSC in the Europa League and won at Burnley (2-1) and Tottenham (2-1) during that unbeaten run.

A shock 5-0 defeat at Fulham followed as they looked tired and complacent. Moyes refocused his charges to win 2-0 at home to Freiburg and then 3-0 last weekend at home to Wolves. In midweek, a strong Hammers XI were destroyed 5-1 at Liverpool. They were outshot 29-2 and allowed 3.16 xG.

West Ham Team News

David Moyes has three concerns for this match. Michail Antonio is still injured up front so Jarrod Bowen could lead the line. Nayef Aguerd and Max Cornet both missed the defeat at Anfield with illness but should return for this one.

Lucas Paqueta and James Ward-Prowse had partial rests in midweek and will return to the XI. Kurt Zouma and Emerson will both return to start in the back four.

West Ham Motivation

West Ham looked disinterested and tired against Liverpool. It’s not clear if they will rally themselves for this clash.

Expect Moyes to play quite defensively with a focus on quick counter-attack. They could have 30% of the ball, even in a home match. West Ham will play to win but a draw is a good result too.

Man Utd Form

United are not in good form at all. Their last 21 matches have yielded just eight wins. They finished bottom of their Champions League group and are three matches without scoring a goal. A 3-0 win at Everton made it consecutive league victories before a 3-1 lead was thrown away in a 3-3 draw at Galatasaray.

The Red Devils were thoroughly outplayed in a 1-0 loss at Newcastle before finding renewed energy to beat Chelsea 2-1 with 4.17 xG produced. The last three matches have been quite poor. They lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth and 1-0 at home to Bayern Munich with a paltry three shots on target. Last Sunday, they fought hard to draw 0-0 at Liverpool despite being outshot 34-6 and allowing 2.38 xG.

Man Utd Team News

Erik Ten Hag welcomes back Bruno Fernandes from suspension. Casemiro, Mason Mount, and Christian Eriksen are injured in midfield. At the back, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire are out.

Victor Lindelof should be available and will compete with Jonny Evans to partner Raphael Varane. Anthony Martial is back from illness but Diogo Dalot is suspended at right back after his red card at Anfield. Marcus Rashford is pushing for a recall in attack.

Man Utd Motivation

United are slowly trying to build some confidence and are taking a results-first approach to games.

Expect Ten Hag to be pragmatic and hard to beat. Man Utd will focus on a clean sheet and nicking a goal at the other end.

Key Stats

West Ham have lost 5 of their last 6 league matches vs Man Utd

West Ham have lost just 2 of their last 10 matches

West Ham have won 5 of their last 6 home matches

Man Utd have lost 2 of their last 4 league matches

Man Utd have failed to score in 4 of their last 5 matches

Verdict

This could be quite a tight affair with the first goal proving crucial. West Ham have attackers in better form than Man Utd and are backed to take the win.

Best Bet: West Ham to win at 2.60

Alternative Bet: West Ham win/draw double chance & Under 3.5 goals at 2.35

Goalscorer Tip: Bowen anytime scorer at 2.80

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis