It is a season of two differing fortunes for Manchester United and West Ham United. As the Premier League heads into the business end of the season, West Ham has a tough ask in this FA Cup fixture. In addition, Old Trafford has recently been a difficult ground to travel to.
Liverpool and Chelsea have entirely fallen by the wayside. Although the former has done the double over high-flying Newcastle United this year, given their form and the expectations going into this season, their performance throughout the 2022-23 campaign has been surprising.
Make no mistake, at the beginning of the season, there weren’t any sports bookmakers who would have had Liverpool or Chelsea outside of the top six at the halfway stage of the campaign. Let’s face it, not many people had faith that Manchester United would be challenging for the top three either.
Of all the sports, football betting can be the most difficult to bet on, given that so many different variables are at play. This statement still stands whether it is an outright market, a head-to-head market or a bet on an individual player to win the golden boot, football is highly unpredictable. Therefore, if you spot an opening, you could find a wager worth a bit of value.
Manchester United
Old Trafford has been a fortress this season, with big wins over Manchester City, Liverpool and Leicester City. You’d need to travel back to the second game of the season in August 2022 to find a home game that United lost against a fellow English side.
When Brighton & Hove Albion came away with three points over half a year ago, alarm bells were going off at Old Trafford. A massive run of form followed, which coincided with Cristiano Ronaldo being dropped from the squad. As we all know, his now world-famous interview with Piers Morgan accelerated his departure and removed his ego from the dressing room.
Ten Hag’s men have gone from strength to strength. He has already taken them to Wembley once this season. Hometown hero Marcus Rashford has been electrifying and the English star striker is arguably in the form of his life. He is almost single-handedly propelling England’s biggest club back into the bright lights of the UEFA Champions League.
West Ham United
Unfortunately, this campaign has been a different story for David Moyes and the Hammers. Having led them to a top-seven finish last season, the arrival of some big-money names had a few Hammers fans possibly dreaming of a push for the position where Man Utd currently sit.
David Moyes is a competent manager at Premier League level. However, he often tends to fall at the final hurdle when the pressure mounts. Man Utd fans know this all too well. Nevertheless, he can drive his team to incredible achievements when the pressure is off.
West Ham’s achievements last season are one of those examples. As was his performance back in 2005 when he dragged an inferior Everton squad into the top four and the UEFA Champions League qualifying stages. He nearly had West Ham in a similar position before crumbling under pressure towards the end of the season.
Head-to-head
West Ham has already been defeated by Man Utd this season, in a closely fought encounter at Old Trafford. So, the bright lights of UK football’s most significant club ground are a perfect backdrop for this FA Cup game. As we enter the 5th round of the competition, it will begin to heat up and the big guns will start to bring out their entire arsenal.
Prediction
You’d think that Manchester United would have too much for the Hammers under the bright lights at The Theatre Of Dreams. David Moyes may even rest some of his star players if he sees the midweek game as too much of an ask, given that the Hammers have now slid into the relegation zone.
Manchester United are inspired this season. Some of their big players are playing to the best of their potential. If their attacking players can continue the form they have shown in the league already so many times this season, you’d think their domestic cup form would continue to run alongside their consistently high-performance levels.
Erik Ten Hag’s men should see themselves through to the 6th round with a comfortable two or three-goal victory in this game. Then, another trip to Wembley could be on the horizon for England’s most successful club.
