Paul Merson predicts winner of Manchester United clash v West Ham United
West Ham travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Sunday afternoon and Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has predicted an outright winner.
David Moyes will return to his former club this weekend with West Ham as he looks to make it three wins in a row with the Hammers.
West Ham maintained their 100 per cent record in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night with a 1-0 win over Silkeborg, but a much tougher challenge awaits in the shape of an in-form Manchester United.
With the Irons starting to build momentum this season, it’s a tough game to predict, but Merson has given his verdict and decided on an outright winner.
Merson has predicted a 2-1 loss for the Hammers but still expects Moyes’ side to “hurt” the Red Devils.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, Merson said: “West Ham are a funny team and can be hard to beat, but they haven’t got going yet this season.
“They can hurt you as they did with Liverpool, and this could be one of those games where the West Ham of last season turns up.
“On current form, however, I don’t see it. Man United are playing really well – the football’s good, the energy’s good, and I think they’ll win this game.”
Take our chances
If West Ham are able to perform against Manchester United on Sunday like they did against Liverpool last week, then the Hammers will give themselves a great chance of winning.
There were a handful of opportunities for Moyes’ side to score, but the team were frustratingly wasteful in front of goal – and that’s before even mentioning the penalty miss.
Defending hasn’t been an issue and with Nayef Aguerd now back in the mix and high on confidence following the Silkeborg win, there’s no doubt that United will find it hard to break the Hammers down.
But chances may be limited at Old Trafford, so the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio need to make sure they lace up their shooting boots on Sunday.
On top of that, West Ham have a terrible record at Old Trafford, with their last win at the Theatre of Dreams coming all the way back in 2007. There’s a great opportunity for the Hammers to change that on Sunday. While Merson clearly doesn’t see it, an upset could be on the cards.