The only Premier League match this Thursday is the clash between West Ham and Manchester United. The game takes place at the home ground of the Hammers, London Stadium. Both sides have achieved their season goals – West Ham are gonna stay in the league, Manchester United have secured the second spot on the table. So, what can we expect from this game? A friendly duel? Find out in this West Ham vs. Manchester United match preview!
West Ham
With five points more than Swansea, who are in the relegation zone, West Ham are in a safe place. They’re gonna stay in the Premier League for another season. Still, to be frank, that’s not the thing they had in mind before the season started. Their ambitions were much higher than this. The Hammers wanted to end the 2017/2018 season in the top half of the table.
Actually, they can still achieve that. With a little bit of luck, they can go up on the table for several spots. Theoretically, they could even finish the season on the 9th place. Surely, that seems like a mission impossible, considering that they play against two big-name teams in the remaining two rounds. After the match against the Red Devils, they play Everton.
Still, West Ham have been playing well lately. The Hammers have been pretty dangerous up front, scoring in each game since the 10th of March. They did lose two games in late April, but those games were against Manchester City and Arsenal, at a time when table position wasn’t yet certain for the Gunners.
Manchester United
Although ending the season as the runner-ups is a great success, it seems that not many people are actually impressed by the performances of Mourinho’s side. What bothers the fans the most is that the Red Devils aren’t playing attractive football.
For example, the last time we saw this team scoring more than three goals in the Premier League was back in November. Furthermore, the Red Devils have scored only four goals in the previous four league games. In comparison, their city rivals, Manchester City, have scored 12 goals in the same number of matches.
But, it seems that the playing mentality won’t change in the remainder of the season. There are only two games left in the Premier League, which can’t change anything for Manchester United. Instead, this team probably already has their minds set on the FA Cup final, which they play against Chelsea in nine days.
That said, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Mourinho resting a couple of his regulars. For instance, Romelu Lukaku is struggling with an injury and is likely to miss the Hammers game. We might also see Rashford taking the place of Sanchez and McTominay staring instead of Matic.
Team News
West Ham absentees:
- Chicharito (injury)
- Michail Antonio (injury)
- Samuel Byram (injury)
- Winston Reid (injury)
- Marko Arnautovic (doubtful)
- Joe Hart (doubtful)
- James Collins (doubtful)
Manchester United absentees:
- Romelu Lukaku (injury)
- Phil Jones (injury)
Possible Lineups
West Ham:
Adrian – Ogbonna, Masuaku, Zabaleta, Cresswell – Kouyaté, Obiang, Noble, Lanzini, Mario – Carroll
Manchester United:
De Gea – Bailly, Lindelof, Valencia, Blind – Fellaini, Herrera, McTominay – Mata, Rashford, Martial
West Ham vs. Manchester United Match Prediction
Don’t think either side is gonna press forward too much. Winning points is not an imperative neither for West Ham nor for Man United. Instead, I expect a quiet game, in which both teams will try not to tire their players too much. That said, we’re probably not gonna see too many goals in this game.
West Ham vs. Manchester United Betting Tips
- Under 2.5 Goals @2.02 (Unibet)
- First Half Draw @2.25 (bet365)
