Manchester United vs. West Ham United Prediction, 7/22/20
Being on the verge of sneaking into the top-four of the Premier League, 5th-placed Manchester United will host 16th-placed West Ham United, who need just a single point from their last two games to mathematically secure another year in England’s top-flight. Kick-off - at 13:00 PM ET on Wednesday, July 22.
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United End Unbeaten Streak
Manchester United finally ended their 19-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W14 D5) after being eliminated from the FA Cup by Chelsea for the sixth time in their head-to-head history. The Red Devils followed up Thursday’s 2-0 Premier League victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park (Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial - on the scoresheet) with a 3-1 semi-final fiasco at the hands of the Blues at Wembley Stadium three days later. Bruno Fernandes scored a penalty for Manchester United, who are 5th in the league (W17 D11 L8), level on points with 4th-placed Leicester City, but with a game in hand.
With 17 league goals each, forwards Rashford and Martial top the Red Devils’ scoring chart. Goalie David De Gea, meanwhile, sits 11th in the EPL with 91 saves. He has recorded 12 clean sheets in 36 outings during the ongoing campaign and allows a strike every 93 minutes on average. Manchester United has buried the 5th highest quantity of league goals this year (63) while taking the 4th highest amount of shots per game (14.6). The team is 5th in ball possession (54.6%) and 4th in passing accuracy (83.5%).
West Ham Boost Survival Bid
West Ham United took a huge step in improving their chances of Premier League survival after recording their second consecutive victory following a 3-1 triumph over fellow strugglers Watford at London Stadium on Friday. Following up his four-goal exploits in the 4-0 win against Norwich City on July 11, Michail Antonio got on the scoreboard again, netting his league-leading seventh snipe since the restart of English soccer. Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice also scored for the Hammers, who sit 16th in the Premier League standings (W10 D7 L19), six points above the bottom-three with two games remaining.
English forward Antonio leads West Ham with nine Premier League markers for the year. Goalie Lukasz Fabianski, meanwhile, resides 17th in England’s top-flight with 66 saves. He has picked up five clean sheets in 23 outings during the current campaign and gives up a goal every 61 minutes of play. The Hammers have netted the 10th highest number of EPL goals this season (47) while delivering the 13th highest quantity of shots per game (11). The team is 5th from the bottom in ball possession (45.0%) and 14th in passing accuracy (75.8%).
Prediction
Goalie David De Gea needs just one more clean sheet to surpass Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel’s club record of 112 Premier League shutouts. But don’t bank on that happening against West Ham United, though! Battling for survival, the Hammers have been in excellent goal-scoring form lately, netting 12 strikes in their last five league contests, while De Gea’s recent run of mistakes and defender Harry Maguire’s errors have left the Red Devils with just two clean sheets in their last five matches in all competitions. Both sides have also found the back of the net in seven of the last 11 head-to-head clashes between Manchester United and West Ham, leaving Both Teams To Score option as the very best one regarding this matchup.
Best bet:
Both team to score (-105)