Manchester United v West Ham Tips: Fatigue to be a factor at Old Trafford
It may cause a stir with some of the traditionalists but there’s FA Cup fifth round fixtures on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Manchester United face West Ham United live on BBC1, kicking off at 7:30pm on Tuesday and we’ve got three football tips for the game that we like the look of.
West Ham have not won at Old Trafford since Carlos Tevez helped the Hammers remain in the Premier League back in 2007 and David Moyes’ side are 4/1 to win the game and 12/5 to qualify for the next round. The game will go to extra time and penalties if the scores are tied after 90 minutes, with a win for the home side currently priced at 4/6.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is expected to make several changes to his side although with West Brom at the weekend and the league now looking to be out of their grasp, the FA Cup could well be their best way of winning some silverware this term. Paul Pogba has been confirmed to be out for a few weeks with a thigh injury while Anthony Martial could come back into the starting XI.
Tomas Soucek’s red card from the weekend has been overturned for West Ham, although Jesse Lingard will not play a part on Tuesday as he is ineligible to play against his parent club. Micahel Antonio may have to settle for a place on the bench as his manager confirmed he is struggling with fatigue.
Manchester United -1 match handicap - 2.5pts @ 9/5 - Paddy Power
Scott McTominay to score - 0.75pts @ 5/1 Paddy Power
Scott McTominay & Declan Rice 1+ shot on target - 0.25pts @ 24/1 Betfair
The first selection on my radar is Manchester United -1 match handicap, meaning if the home side win by two goals or more, this will be a winner. This selection is currently priced at 9/5 with both Betfair and Paddy Power, but could fluctuate a little due to the uncertainty around team news. As I mentioned above, 2007 was the last time West Ham managed a win at Old Trafford, that’s 15 games in total and I don’t see that run coming to an end this week.
West Ham only created 1.07xG in contrast to Fulham’s 1.77xG at the weekend, with David Moyes’ men looking a little jaded. The visitors will be without Jesse Lingard and could also potentially be forced into resting Michael Antionio, with the latter set to be assessed before the game. Fatigue could well be a factor here and with Manchester United able to bring the likes of Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood into their attack I’m fancying a comfortable victory. With 12 goals in their last two matches at Old Trafford it’s hard to see the hosts not creating plenty of chances and dominating the shot count.
Scott McTominay is a player who seems to be getting better and better as the season progresses and I’m leaning towards a small play on him to find the net against West Ham. Betfair and Paddy Power are currently best priced on him to do so with 5/1 available in the anytime scorer market.
A scorer in his last two matches, as well as in the FA Cup and League Cup this term, McTominay has openly spoken in interviews this season about he feels he should be scoring more goals, particularly from set pieces with his 6ft 3inch frame being an advantage. The 24-year-old has six goals in 21 starts for The Red Devils this campaign and at 5/1 he looks slightly overpriced in what hopefully can be an entertaining FA Cup tie.
At 24/1 I’ve also opted for a little Same Game Multi with Betfair, consisting of both Scott McTominay and Declan Rice to have a shot on target. I’ve already mentioned how I think Scott McTominay is slightly overpriced in the anytime scorers market and the same could be said for the shots on target market, with the Scot priced at 5/2 as a single to test the West Ham keeper.
It is worth noting that all four of Scott McTominay’s shots on target in the Premier League this season have resulted in goals, although you would expect that run to come to an end quite soon. An aerial threat from set-pieces or capable of striking from long-range ‘McSauce’ looks generously priced with other firms going shorter at around the 13/8 mark.
One of West Ham’s main strengths is their height and aerial strength at set-pieces. With Tomas Soucek, Craig Dawson, Angelo Ogbonna and Declan Rice, the Hammers are a tall bunch and it’s Declan Rice I’m fancying for a shot on target for the visitors. This selection has landed in three of the midfielders' last six games and at 9/2, this still looks too big a price in my eyes with Sky Bet going shorter at 3/1.
That’s 9/5, 5/1 and 24/1 selections in total. Best of luck to anyone following and as always please gamble responsibly.
