West Ham United clash v Manchester United predicted by Paul Merson
Paul Merson has made his predictions for West Ham United’s trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Sunday in the Premier League.
The Hammers were held to a 1-1 draw by Bournemouth on Thursday while Erik Ten Hag’s side claimed a sensational 4-3 win over Wolves, meaning just one point separates the two sides in sixth and seventh place in the table.
And speaking to Sportskeeda (2 February) to make his weekly predictions, Sky Sports pundit Merson admitted that he doesn’t know what to expect from either team but backed home advantage to be crucial before backing the Red Devils to earn a 2-1 win.
“West Ham United have the ammunition to hurt Manchester United on the counter,” he wrote.
“With Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus, the Hammers have two players who have been in fine form this season, but as I’ve said earlier, you never quite know what you’re going to get with West Ham.
“You could say the same for Manchester United! They were absolutely dominating Newport County and raced to a two-goal lead, which is when I thought it could be a cricket score. Next thing you know, it was 2-2!
“I hate predicting Manchester United games, but I think they’ll just win this one thanks to home advantage. Manchester United 2-1 West Ham United”
West Ham can’t lose
David Moyes knows all about Old Trafford, but his memories at the stadium aren’t the best. Whether it’s from his time as their manager or elsewhere, he rarely gets a win there.
But the performance of the Hammers just before the turn of the year where West Ham claimed a 2-0 win thanks to Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus’ goals proves he is capable of getting a result.
With the style that he likes to play in, it suits. Man United like to have space to run into to use their speed, while Moyes likes to play with a deeper defence and play for set-pieces to use the height and physicality of his team to it’s full potential.
After the disappointing draw with Bournemouth in the week the fans will want to see an improved performance from a number of players, while the home team will be buzzing after their performance on the road.
It should be an entertaining game but in an ideal world the Hammers will want to make it more boring, as that will no doubt mean they have a better chance of success.
There will be no Said Benrahma or Pablo Fornals seemingly however, so his options are reduced, but this is a game they can’t afford to lose if they want to keep up the pressure for a European place once again.
In other West Ham news, Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Ian Wright clash as West Ham v Manchester United result predicted.
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