WEST HAM welcome Manchester United to the London Stadium for the early Saturday afternoon kick-off. Football journalist Adam Goodwin (@AGJournalism) runs the rule over the best betting options for the encounter.
West Ham v Manchester United | Saturday 29th September 2018, 12:30 | BT Sport
After a shaky start to the season, West Ham are finally starting to hit their stride under Manuel Pellegrini.
A 3-1 win away at Everton was followed by a solid 0-0 against Chelsea, before they spanked Macclesfield 8-0 during the week.
Pellegrini seems to have found his best XI but it’s still touch-and-go as to whether star man Marko Arnautovic will play. The Austrian was unavailable for the stalemate with Chelsea last weekend, but it looks like he could have some involvement here.
The Hammers home form at the London Stadium has been really hit and miss in the past (they lost 3-0 to Burnley, then beat Southampton 3-0 within the same month earlier this year), but they seem more settled now under Pellegrini and the draw with Chelsea was a foundation to build-on heading into the rest of the campaign.
Red Devils reeling
Unlike West Ham, United weren’t as successful during the week, as they were well and truly beaten at home by Derby. Marouane Fellaini forced the game to a penalty shootout but a dreadful Phil Jones penalty saw Jose Mourinho’s men crash out in truly dreadful fashion.
This followed another poor performance at home to Wolves last weekend, where the newly-promoted side took the game to the Red Devils and took a well-earned point from Old Trafford.
Despite not starting this season sensationally, their recent away form in all competitions has actually been fairly good. They’ve scored nine goals in their last four away games, but that seems like a necessity nowadays if they are to get any sort of result because their defence is so poor.
The betting angle
Both of these sides are certainly unpredictable, making this a tricky game to call. On their day, Manchester United can beat anyone, like we saw against Manchester City last season, but will the hullaballoo surrounding Paul Pogba affect them in anyway?
One thing you can always rely on is United’s defence to be suspect so I’m happy to back goals here. West Ham will set up to play on the counter-attack, just like they did against Chelsea, and I expect it to have more success.
Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score is 6/5 with William Hill and I really like the look of that price.
I’d fancy 2-1 either way here, but who knows when Manchester United come to town?
Best Bets
West Ham v Manchester United – Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score (6/5 William Hill)
