Premier League: Manchester United Have to Fix Their Away Form

West Ham United vs Manchester United

Manchester United’s top four run was halted by Brighton, but they have a chance to make things right when they take on West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday for their second Premier League game in three days.

Yesterday at Amex Stadium, the Red Devils suffered a 1-0 loss against the Seagulls, but they still hold the fourth-place spot in the standings with 63 points.

However, Manchester United cannot get complacent because they’ve been terrible on the road this season, and there’s pressure mounting on them to secure the top four as soon as possible.

West Ham United are under pressure too because they’re closer to the drop than they’ve ever been in quite some time. The Hammers are in 15^th place with 34 points, which is only four points adrift of the relegation zone.

Talking Points

West Ham’s balancing act

The Hammers are one of the rare teams that’s still fighting on two fronts at this point of the season, which will really test their mental fortitude and team depth.

Besides trying to get more positive Premier League 2023 results, West Ham United are in the Europa Conference League semi-finals, and they have a winnable tie against AZ Alkmaar starting on Thursday after this game against Manchester United.

They have lost each of their three Premier League matches against Liverpool, Crystal Palace, and Manchester City, and they have injury concerns to deal with, giving David Moyes headaches in the team selection.

Against Manchester City, David Moyes had to drastically change his midfield as Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice were sidelined due to illnesses. Nayef Aguerd was also ill, while Kurt Zouma hurt his ankle against Crystal Palace, and Vladimir Coufal had to come off the pitch against the Sky Blues because of a hamstring knock.

Gianluca Scamacca, their prized acquisition last summer, has not featured since March’s home victory over AEK Larnaca in the Europa Conference League Round of 16 due to a knee injury.

Should none of the six absentees be cleared in time for Sunday, David Moyes would have only 17 players available against Manchester United.

Almost but not quite for Manchester United

The Red Devils’ struggles away from home have been well documented, and following yesterday’s loss to Brighton, Manchester United now have seven losses and one draw against top-nine sides on the road this season.

They are still in pole position for the fourth and final Champions League spot, but they’re only four points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool and now have only one game in hand.

Manchester United did okay against Brighton up until the dying minutes, when they conceded a penalty because of Luke Shaw’s handball. Alexis Mac Allister stepped up on the spot and converted the penalty to seal the victory for the Seagulls.

They should’ve won the game if they converted their chances early on. Antony and Anthony Martial were particularly wasteful in the final third, while Marcus Rashford was the sole bright spot for the squad.

History

West Ham United have lost seven of their last eight meetings with Manchester United across all competitions. These two teams have already met twice this season, and the Red Devils won each time at Old Trafford.

They first met in October, when Manchester United beat West Ham United 1-0 as Marcus Rashford scored the only goal.

And then, in March, the Red Devils eliminated the Hammers in the FA Cup fifth round with a 3-1 scoreline. Said Benrahma scored the first goal of the game after 54 minutes, but Manchester United came back through an own goal from Nayef Aguerd and late goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Fred.

Manchester United have won their last two away league games against West Ham United, which is as many as in their previous eight visits (D3, L3).

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Premier League 2023 odds like Manchester United’s chances to win on Sunday, mainly because of their lead over their hosts in the standings. They’re priced at 2.10 to win, but West Ham United have a decent chance at 3.05, and a draw is at 3.40 in the 1X2 market.

Manchester United’s away form is poor, so it’s hard to fully trust them to get the job done this weekend. However, we believe that this is going to be a high-scoring game regardless, making Over 2.50 at 1.67 your best bet.

For alternatives, you can’t go wrong betting on either Total Goal 2-3 at 1.98 or even Total Goal 4-6 at 2.95.

 

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