PREMIER LEAGUE fanatic Tommy Buckley (@tbuckleythinks) believes Romelu Lukaku could steal the show when Manchester United head to West Ham on Saturday.
West Ham v Manchester United | Saturday 29th September 2018, 12.30, BT Sport
The Premier League action kicks-off this weekend with West Ham welcoming Manchester United for a Saturday lunchtime encounter at the London Stadium.
The powers that be at BT Sport – and indeed the viewers – will be hoping the Hammers and Red Devils don't repeat their turgid end-of-season 0-0 from last season, and instead showcase the same level of drama that many of these meetings have produced over the years.
One player who should definitely be looking forward to Saturday's clash is Romelu Lukaku, as Belgium’s record goalscorer has an excellent goalscoring record against West Ham in recent seasons.
Lukaku certainly enjoyed his time playing against the Hammers when with Everton and he’s continued that trend since moving to Manchester United.
Here are the scorelines from the last 11 matches in which Lukaku has faced West Ham. There are nine Premier League outings and two FA Cup ties from the previous four seasons:
- Manchester United 4-0 West Ham – Lukaku scored first
- West Ham 0-0 Everton
- Everton 2-0 West Ham – Lukaku scored first
- Everton 2-3 West Ham – Lukaku scored first
- West Ham 1-1 Everton – Lukaku scored last
- West Ham 1-2 Everton – Lukaku scored last
- West Ham 2-2 Everton (FA Cup) – Lukaku scored in extra-time
- Everton 1-1 West Ham (FA Cup) – Lukaku scored last
- Everton 2-1 West Ham – Lukaku scored first
- Everton 1-0 West Ham – Lukaku scored first
- West Ham 2-3 Everton – Lukaku scored last
Romelu Lukaku has scored at least one goal in 10 of his last 11 league and cup clashes against West Ham. The Belgian hitman has notched first or last in nine of those encounters, while he has scored in a victory for his team in five of the 11 fixtures against the Hammers.
We all know as fans and punters that trends are there to be broken but those Lukaku stats are appealing given the profile of this match, especially considering United appear better suited to playing away, and given that Lukaku has scored in all three of Manchester United’s away Premier League matches so far this season.
Romelu Lukaku is around 6/5 (Unibet) to score anytime – obviously shop around for the best price you can get – and for me, that will be my main interest in the match given his record above. I think he's the type of player who can upset the Hammers defence.
Lukaku is around 7/2 (Betfair) to score first and the same odds to net last – the stats above show that's collected in nine of the 11 matches he's played against West Ham and again those bets are worth consideration.
You can get around the 13/8 (SkyBet) mark on Lukaku scoring and United winning, with Man Utd around 81/100 (Marathon) to win the match that's something to consider if you think Jose Mourinho's men will take the points.
As stated for me personally, Romelu Lukaku to score at anytime will be my main play and I'm also going to add a few small Lukaku-based scorecasts for good measure. The scorecasts are worth considering if you want to take a fun punt at bigger odds as opposed to just having the player to score first.
As a lifelong United fan I hope Lukaku scores and the Red Devils win. As a punter, I'll be happy just as long as Romelu remembers his liking for finding the Hammers net.
Best Bets
West Ham v Manchester United – Romelu Lukaku to score at anytime (6/5 Unibet)
