Manchester United welcomes West Ham United to Old Trafford on July 22, 2020, as the English Premier League continues.
The Red Devils have a chance to move up to 4th place and take the final Champions League spot after Leicester City suffered a 0-3 loss at the hands of the Tottenham Hotspur during the weekend. If Manchester City can salvage a point in this match, they will overtake Tottenham in the standings. Meanwhile, West Ham has all but made official their return to the Top Flight next season following a win over Watford in their last assignment. The Hammers are firmly in 15th place and six points above relegation with two matches left to play for them.
The Manchester Red Devils are in 5th place in the latest Premier League team standings with a record of 17-11-8 and a total of 62 points earned from their matches. Manchester United is tied with Leicester City on points but has an inferior goal difference. But with the Foxes losing to the Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend, the Red Devils can move to 4th place with a point from this encounter against West Ham United.
Manchester City got hammered by Chelsea 1-3 in the FA Cup semifinal during the weekend. The Red Devils never got the chance to win the match as the Blues prevented them from picking up any momentum. Manchester United was even lucky to get on board in the 85th minute via a Bruno Fernandes penalty. All is not lost though after the Tottenham Hotspur defeated Leicester City 3-0 which allows the Red Devils to move up to fourth place in the table if they get a point from this match.
Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford each have scored 17 goals on the season while Mason Greenwood has a total of nine goals scored this year. Rashford leads the team with a total of seven assists on the year while Bruno Fernandes also has seven assists and seven goals. Daniel James has contributed six assists and three goals for the Red Devils.
Manchester United ranks 5th in scoring with a total of 63 goals scored on the season. The Red Devils have been terrific on defense and their 35 goals allowed this year is tied for second overall. Manchester City is also 5th in passing with a total of 42 assists on the year and their goal difference of +28 is 4th overall in the Premier League.
West Ham United is currently in 15th place in the English Premier League table. The Hammers have a record of 10-7-19 with a total of 37 points earned, tied with Brighton & Hove Albion but with a better goal difference. They are six points ahead of the 18th and 19th place teams in the league and are almost assured of their safety with only two matches left to play in the 2020 Premier League season.
West Ham defeated Watford 3-1 to claim a vital win in the relegation battle. With the victory, West Ham has all but formalized their return to the Premier League next season. With their place in the Top Flight secure, there is very little to play for the rest of the way. That said, I expect this side to slow down a bit as they turn their focus to next season and how to avoid being in the same situation as they are in right now.
Michail Antonio leads West Ham United with a total of nine goals scored on the season. Sebastian Haller has found the back of the net seven times while Robert Snodgrass has netted five times this year. Snodgrass and Pablo Fornals lead the team with five assists each with Formals also scoring a pair of goals. Felipe Anderson has four assists and one goal for the Hammers.
The Hammers rank 9th in the league in goal-scoring with a total of 49 assists. They are 4th from the bottom when it comes to defense as they have conceded a total of 60 goals this season. West Ham is ranked 7th in passing with a total of 35 assists on the year. They are tied for 12th in goal difference at -13 this term.
Manchester United is 10-6-2 in 18 home matches played this season. They have scored a total of 39 goals while conceding 16 at Old Trafford this year. On the other hand, West Ham United has an away record of 4-4-10 in 18 road games played this year. The Hammers have scored a total of 18 goals in their away matches and have allowed a total of 28 goals when visiting other stadiums.
These teams have played in a total of 43 head to head matches and Manchester United leads the series with 25 wins. West Ham has nine victories while these teams played to a draw in nine other head to head contests. West Ham won the reverse fixture between these two teams at 2-0.
However, Manchester United isn’t the same team that lost that match. They have tremendously improved as the season has progressed. And after suffering that setback in the FA Cup semifinals, the Red Devils should be out looking for vengeance. They need to get at least a point here to ensure a Top Four finish and head to the Champions League. However, given that they are coming off a loss, don’t expect the Red Devils to settle for a draw here. With West Ham having little to play for, I expect a smooth sailing win for the Red Devils.
Prediction: Manchester United
Manchester City’s defense has been fantastic this season. The Red Devils are second in the league in Goals Conceded and they have recorded four clean sheets in their last seven league matches. On the other hand, West Ham is a Top 10 scoring team this season but their defense is in the bottom five of the Premier League. The Red Devils have scored first eight times in their 10 home wins this year. On the other hand, West Ham United has conceded first in nine out of their 10 away losses this term. Given Manchester United’s scoring prowess and West Ham’s defensive failures this season, I like the Red Devils to score first in this matchup and win the first half battle.
Prediction: Manchester United/Manchester United -150
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