West Ham United v Manchester United
Monday, 17:15
Live on Sky Sports 1
Monday, 17:15
Live on Sky Sports 1
West Ham
After a pair of away fixtures that yielded a fine victory (4-1 against Swansea on Boxing Day) and a frustrating defeat (1-0 to Leicester on Saturday), West Ham return to London in a bid to start 2017 on a high note.
Their form at the Olympic Stadium has been improving slowly, suggesting that the players are starting to acclimatise to their new surroundings. The Irons' last six home matches have yielded 11 points, with only the heavy loss to Arsenal - the result of an awful performance - really blotting the copybook.
The return of battering ram Andy Carroll to fitness has been a boost to Slaven Bilic, who can finally calibrate his attack around an actual striker. But the improvement of the defence has also been heartening: West Ham have conceded just twice in four games and appear to be growing in confidence.
Manchester United
There was something of the Fergie-era Man United about the victory over Middlesbrough on Saturday. With 85 minutes on the clock, the Red Devils were trailing to Grant Leadbitter's strike; in the blink of an eye they were ahead, courtesy of strikes by Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba.
It's now five Premier League victories on the spin for United, and while Chelsea's rampant form is making a title challenge unlikely, their hopes of finishing in the top four are growing every week. After a worrying start, Jose Mourinho is beginning to work his magic, crafting a durable, dogged side.
Match Odds
While West Ham's home form has picked up, it's worth looking at the calibre of sides they have defeated at the Olympic Stadium in recent weeks: their last three wins there have come against two of the bottom three - Sunderland and Hull - plus notoriously bad travellers Burnley. That goes some way to explaining why they are as long as 6.00 to win here.
Man United have been strong away from Old Trafford this term, averaging almost as many points per match away (1.89) as at home (1.9). Against sides currently below them in the table, their away record is even more impressive: W5 D1 L1. We fancy them to get the job done on Monday.
1.68 is fairly short, however, so consider backing the visitors -0.5 & -1.0 on the Asian Handicap at 1.83. You'll make a small profit if they win by one goal and a larger one if the margin of victory is wider.
Half-time/Full-time
Manchester United have led at half-time in half of their Premier League games so far, including five of nine away from home. Having come so close to letting the game escape them against Middlesbrough, they will surely try to get their business done early this time, so the 2.62 available on them to be winning at half-time and full-time appeals.
Over/Under 2.5 Goals
Five of West Ham's last six games at home - and six of nine over the whole season - have gone under this line. But United have been involved in a few higher-scoring matches recently (1-3 at Swansea, 1-2 at Palace, 3-1 against Sunderland, 2-1 against Boro), so this one is hard to call. The unders at 2.06 probably just shades it, but it's a coin toss.
To Score
Carroll usually raises his game against the top sides and looks West Ham's most likely scorer at 3.35. But Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the more solid bet, even at odds of 1.99. The Swede has already scored three times against the Hammers this term (once in the league, twice in the League Cup) and has 11 goals in his last 11 games in all competitions.
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