English FA Cup

Man Utd v West Ham: Red Devils to sneak through

Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag can continue Man Utd's quadruple bid against West Ham

Paul Higham expects the recent history of narrow wins to continue as Carabao Cup winners Man Utd continue their quadruple bid by hosting West Ham in the FA Cup.


United's quad odds cut after Cup win

That's one down, three to go for Man Utd after lifting the Carabao Cup at Wembley saw their quadruple odds cut to 100/1 as they switch to FA Cup mode against West Ham.

They've got Real Betis in the Europa League and are still in the Premier League race - which seems the toughest nut to crack, but the cup competitions are well up for grabs.

It's a quick turnaround from Wembley but Erik tan Hag has a big squad and has shown he can finally start getting the best out of this expensively-assembled group that has been underperforming for the last few years.

Hammers hope for Wembley hangover

Moyes Hammers.jpg

David Moyes was delighted with a huge 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday, but they're still in trouble near the relegation zone so it'll be interesting to see how he goes about this tie.

There will likely be some changes given they go to Brighton in the league on Saturday, and their recent record at Old Trafford leaves a lot to be desired as they've won just once in their last 20 visits.

Moyes also has a poor personal record at the Theatre of Dreams, winning just once as the away manager at his former employers - and he'll be banking on a Wembley hangover to help the Hammers upset the odds.

Low scorers the recent theme

Such a strong home record means Man Utd are rightly 8/13 favourites. I'd give West Ham much more of a chance of a 4/1 upset if they were higher up the table and less likely to make changes.

The 3/1 on the draw could be in play - it's not ideal for either but with no replay the tie will at least be settled on the night by extra-time or penalties if needed. Their last FA Cup meeting was settled in extra time here.

And if West Ham name a strong side then it could go the distance given recent games have been close contests.

RashfordSmiling.jpg

Man Utd are unbeaten in 18 at home, the last 13 of which have seen them score at least twice, but there's sure to be some kind of drop-off after Wembley, so goal expectations should be managed.

Only two of the last nine meetings have seen over 2.5 goals, with three of those nine seeing both teams score.

The last five meetings at Old Trafford have all been 1-0 wins (albeit one being in extra-time) with the hosts winning four of those.

A narrow Man Utd win here, such as the hosts to win and under 2.5 goals at 3/1 or a Man Utd win to nil at 9/5 look the ways to go.

Will red-hot Rashford start?

Has anyone been better than Marcus Rashford since the World Cup? Some places have it down as an own goal at Wembley, but if it's his it's seven goals in seven games.

Bet £5 get £5 on the Man Utd v West Ham

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Back Antony 2+ shots on target & 1+fouls & Bowen 1+ shot on target

11/1

Whether ten Hag starts him with Liverpool away coming up at the weekend is up for debate, but being just Evens to score here shows what superb form he's in.

Antony's growing confidence has seen him have a shot on target in the last four, and two shots on target in each of the last two - back Antony for 2+ shots on target here at 7/4.

The Brazilian has also given away a foul in five of his last seven, so 11/10 on him giving just one foul away here seems a solid shout, especially if he starts.

For West Ham, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio remain their big threats - Bowen has had a shot on target in for of his last seven and is the pick of the Hammers to hit the target.

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