Manchester United welcome West Ham United to Old Trafford on Tuesday as the FA Cup fifth round gets underway.
As things stand, eight points separate the two sides in the Premier League table, with second-place Man Utd leading fifth-place West Ham.
The sweetest of strikes 🍬#MUFC #GoalOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/qBoGdr2XO2— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 8, 2021
The sweetest of strikes 🍬#MUFC #GoalOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/qBoGdr2XO2
Needless to say, both teams will be eager to return to winning ways following disappointing draws at the weekend.
Man Utd appeared to be heading for a routine win over Everton on Saturday, with goals from Edinson Cavani and Bruno Fernandes giving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side a 2-0 lead at half-time.
However, the Red Devils ended up throwing away their advantage and eventually draw 3-3, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring a 95th-minute equaliser.
Still, Man Utd have only lost one of their previous 17 league games, recording 11 wins and five draws during that period.
After beating Watford 1-0 in the FA Cup third round, United secured a 3-2 victory over Liverpool in the previous round.
Despite seeing just 39% possession and facing 20 shots, West Ham were able to hold on to seal a goalless draw against Fulham on Saturday.
But having avoided defeat, the Hammers have lost just one of their last nine Premier League outings, picking up five wins and three draws in that time.
A run of five wins in six games across January and February has seen West Ham establish themselves as a genuine European chaser this season.
It’s fair to say that David Moyes’ men have enjoyed a relatively easy route to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The Hammers beat Stockport County 1-0 in the third round, before thrashing Doncaster Rovers 4-0 last time around.
Head-to-head: Man Utd have already beaten West Ham this season, clinching a 3-1 victory at the London Stadium back in December.
That win means that United have only lost two of their previous ten meetings with the Hammers in all competitions.
Team news: Man Utd duo Paul Pogba and Phil Jones are both injured at the moment, while Eric Bailly is also expected to miss Tuesday’s clash.
As for West Ham, Arthur Masuaka is David Moyes’ only injury concern right now. Man Utd loanee Jesse Lingard is ineligible to face his parent club.
Man Utd have been pretty unpredictable of late, but they should have enough quality to get the better of West Ham.
Forebet predicts that Man Utd will score over 1.5 goals on their way to victory on Tuesday.