Man Utd are 6/4 to win to nil for the eighth successive game

West Ham/Man Utd, 4pm, Sky Sports 1, Free Bets, Best Odds

Manchester United have kept twelve consecutive Premier League clean sheets and have won seven straight matches during that streak but their opponents West Ham have made a habit out of derailing Sir Alex Ferguson’s title bids in the past. Here’s a breakdown of the stats in both team’s favour:

Could West Ham spring a surprise?

» West Ham have won their last two home games against Manchester United and the Red Devils have won on just four of their last fourteen visits to the Boleyn Ground.

» Gianfranco Zola’s side have won their last four home games and are unbeaten in eight games in all competitions. Since losing at Old Trafford in October, West Ham have taken points from all the other Big Four clubs.

» The champions have triumphed in ninety minutes on just one of their last twelve trips to London.

» West Ham have lost just one of their last six matches officiated by Phil Dowd and he was the referee when they won 1-0 in this fixture two seasons ago.

» Manchester United’s last Premier League twelve match unbeaten run was ended in East London in December 2007 when West Ham beat them 1-0 in Alan Curbishley’s first game in charge.

Or will it be business as usual for Manchester United?

» Manchester United have won their last two clashes with West Ham since losing 2-1 at the Boleyn Ground last December.

» Five of the six goals they have conceded on the road in the league this season were against Big Four clubs and the only exception was Everton, who came fifth last season.

» That stat combines well with the fact they have only failed to score in two of their last 47 Premier League games.

» West Ham have won four straight home games but they haven’t gone beyond that since 2004, at which point they were a Championship side.

» The last time they recorded four home wins in succession was at the start of the season and that was followed by a 3-1 loss to Bolton which started a six match home winless run.

Which outcome are you leaning towards?

If you fancy West Ham to cause an upset then Betfair offer 6/1 on the home win while they are 13/10 with Paddy Power to avoid defeat on the double chance. If you expect Manchester United to regain the top-spot then the best value is for them to win to nil again at 6/4 with Ladbrokes (was previously available at 7/4!). Be warned though that West Ham have only failed to score once in their previous ten home games against the champions.

Posted: February 8th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn |