Prediction: West Ham vs Manchester United

The 2-0 loss at Anfield served as a major blow to West Ham’s top 4 ambitions, although the Hammers could keep slim Champions League hopes by defeating third-placed Manchester United at Boleyn Ground. The Red Devils continued the good run by beating Leicester City, but with so many sides breathing down their necks, Louis van Gaal’s charges have got to try and keep the rich vein of form for as long as possible.

The mere fact West Ham are still very much in the Premier League top 4 chase speaks volumes about the performances of Sam Allardyce’s side. Having strengthened well in the summer, the Hammers have been thoroughly impressive this season, although they did suffer a minor dip in form during the festive schedule. The 3-0 victory over Hull City helped the team return to the right track, although the 2-0 loss to Liverpool that ensued saw West Ham slip to eighth in the league standings. And having done so well against England’s top sides at their Boleyn Ground, the Hammers would have plenty of reason for optimism ahead of the clash with Manchester United, that is if it weren’t for a number if injuries to star players. While star striker Andy Carroll is also sidelined, Sam Allardyce faces a genuine defensive headache given that James Collins, Winston Reid, James Tomkins, Carl Jenkinson and Cheikhou Kouyate are all unavailable. This should see left-back Aaron Cresswell start in the heart of defence alongside Guy Demel, and this is something the Red Devils will definitely be looking to exploit.

Taking into account the shocking start to the season, Manchester United have shown a great deal of improvement and they have been holding off challenge from top 4 rivals for quite a while now. With a number of players leaving the infirmary, Louis van Gaal now have a lot more options to choose from, although the injury to Michael Carrick definitely came at a bad time. The good news is that Radamel Falcao is back to his scoring ways, and his strike partner Robin van Persie is in decent form, although Wayne Rooney appears to be struggling for form at the moment. Nonetheless, the most important thing is that Van Gaal has managed to sort out the shaky back line, even if he continues to tinker with his formations. While winning the FA Cup fourth round replay against Cambridge United, the Red Devils did well to record back to back Premier League wins over QPR and Leicester, and they will fancy their chances of defeating injury-plagued West Ham as well. Manchester United are unbeaten in last seven away matches in all competitions and have won four of those games, three in the Premier League.

Conclusion

Numerous injuries to star players are likely to destabilise West Ham and the makeshift back line will have their work cut out for them against some of world’s best strikers. Meanwhile, Manchester United have been quite consistent of late and I can see them winning at Boleyn Ground.

Verdict: Away win Manchester United (2)

Best Odds: 1/1

Bookmaker: William Hill