Manchester United are looking to gain a bit of momentum and establish some consistency this coming Saturday when West Ham visit Old Trafford. Needless to say, results have been mixed and frustrating for the fans, with the recent unpredictable streak being particularly bizarre.
After a victory over then-red hot Arsenal, fans were hoping the club were beginning to reach its pedigree from last year. However, that win was followed by back-to-back draws and then back-to-back losses, which all occurred before this past weekend’s rather emphatic (and at this point, surprising) 3-0 win over Aston Villa.
All this is to say, this time around Manchester United is hoping to build on a big victory, rather than succumbing to another streak of mediocrity or, let’s be honest, simply poor play. The opportunity will come on Saturday against a West Ham side that, while a bottom dweller in the Premier League standings, has been a bit tricky to predict this season. The team has also shown more than once that it can score and surprise. So how does the match look to play out for Manchester United? Here’s a look at the match-up, as well as what the betting oddsmakers are predicting.
For the official look at the match projection, we’ll turn our attention to Betfair, where odds are given each week for Premier League matches, and matches all across football for that matter. Taking a look at the betting odds for the coming week, it’s quite clear that despite all the talk about underperformance of late, Manchester United are a clear favourite at home on the 21st. Manchester United is given odds of 1/3 to win the match, as compared to 15/2 for West Ham to pull the upset, and you can get 4/1 for the draw. Truth be told, the draw is almost a tempting betting line given West Ham’s 5 points off of draws already in just 16 games played. But the point remains that Manchester United are the strong betting favourite.
As for the match itself, going beyond the betting odds, it does appear with a closer look that West Ham faces a tall task. Never mind that Manchester United possess the more talented squad, but West Ham, despite being a side that cannot be overlooked (just ask Tottenham), has had its own struggles of late. In fact, the club hasn’t won a match on the road since its 3-0 shocker over the Spurs in early October. This coupled with the talent deficiency and a look at last year’s match at Old Trafford (which the Red Devils won 1-0, but handily controlled) seems to indicate that the odds are just about right. It should be a great opportunity for Manchester United to build a bit of momentum heading into another winnable Week 18 match with Hull.
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