West Ham v Man United: History points to victory for Red Devils
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Manchester United travel to London to take on West Ham this week and with the Iron’s bidding farewell to Upton Park and the Red Devils still in the hunt for a Champions league berth it promises to be a thriller.
However, while it promises to be a match worthy of the Boleyn Ground’s send-off, history suggests it is the United of Manchester that will be celebrating at the final whistle, ruining the Hammers’ big send off.
Having seen rivals Manchester City fluff their lines against Arsenal at the weekend Louis van Gaal knows victory in the capital will mean his side just have to equal City’s result on the final day of the season in order to secure fourth place and possibly save his job.
And with the Red Devils unbeaten against West Ham since a League Cup outing in November 2010 there will be plenty of people tempted by the 5/4 on the visitors picking up a crucial win.
West Ham go into the game as 21/10 outsiders on the back of the weekend crushing 4-1 defeat to Swansea while it’s 12/5 the sides play out a draw for the fourth time in five meetings.
Those tempted to back the home side, however, should bear in mind that while the teams have been evenly matched in recent years – the last five games were either drawn or settled by a single goal – the Irons haven’t won a Premier League meeting with Van Gaal’s side since December 2007.
In fact London has been a fairly happy hunting ground for the Red Devils of late, with just three losses from their last 10 visits to the capital.
And, while Juan Mata was the man correctly tipped by Ladbrokes News to come good against Norwich at the weekend captain Wayne Rooney look most likely to lead from the front here.
United’s captain has netted 12 career goals against the Irons, winning 14 of the 19 games in which he has played.
He may have gone eight games without a goal, but having netted seven in seven before that and with so much on the line backing Wazza to score- either first at 6/1 or anytime at 15/8 – could prove a smart selection.
With that in mind, and the fact the last six meetings have seen three or fewer goals, the Rooney 1-0 scorecast (33/1) or the Rooney 2-1 scorecast (35/1) should also come into consideration.
Having a bet on the game? Be sure to keep an eye on the hundreds of markets on offer at Ladbrokes, including these two generous Price Boosts…
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
