The Race For Champions League Football: West Ham v Manchester United Preview & Betting

Tuesday 10th May. 7:45PM. Sky Sports 1

The Boleyn floodlights will shine one last time as Slaven Bilic’s West Ham prepare for their final game at the famous ground; it could scarcely be a more important fixture either.

Whilst the Hammers are still battling for Europa League qualification, visiting Manchester United will be desperate to put themselves in the driving seat in the battle for fourth. Whatever happens, the final game at Upton Park is set to be a fascinating contest from start to finish.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Hammers To Gain Perfect Send-Off?

Game 2398 was always going to be a memorable night in West Ham’s history, and beating Manchester United would be the perfect way to bring the curtain down in style. However, three points wouldn’t simply offer a fitting end to their time at Upton Park; it could be huge for their hopes going forward too.

A win would give Bilic’s men a fantastic chance of qualifying for the Europa League, which could be massive as they look to recruit even better players next term. The hosts will need to perform a lot better than they did during the weekend blip against Swansea, but they can be optimistic.

Goalkeeper Adrian is the only noticeable absent, and Dimitri Payet and co will be eager to put on one final display for the Hammers faithful. Meanwhile, performances against the Red Devils this term show that they’ve nothing to fear.

The Hammers will need to be at their best, but they should have no problem finding the motivation for this one. Expect them to fight from start to finish.

Rooney To Keep Driving Red Devils Forward

Louis van Gaal’s turbulent season suddenly shows signs of being a particularly productive campaign. The Red Devils are already in the FA Cup final and, with just a week of the season remaining, now have Champions League qualification in their own hands. Nonetheless, the trip to Upton Park will provide a very difficult test indeed.

The Red Devils are still without Luke Shaw, Bastian Schweinsteiger and the suspended Marouane Fellaini. However, the return of Wayne Rooney has provided a real springboard, with the skipper looking particularly impressive from a deeper role. If he can dictate proceedings at a ground where he has very fond memories, they should end the night sitting pretty in fourth.

At the other end, the brilliant David De Gea may need to bail his side out once or twice, but the league’s best goalkeeper is more than capable. If Chris Smalling and co can keep things tight at the back too, the visitors can clinch the vital win.

Not only would it see them climb to fourth, but it would condemn local rivals City to fifth. One way or the other, it will be a perfect night for someone. It will be truly intriguing to see just how things develop. One thing we can expect, though, is pure entertainment from start to finish.

West Ham United v Manchester United Betting

This is a massive fixture for both clubs but, despite conceding home advantage, it’s Manchester United that enter as the favourites at odds of 13/10 with Bet365. West Ham shouldn’t be ruled out at 23/10, though, while the draw may appeal to some at 5/2 too.

Tensions will be running wild, and neither team will want to give too much away early on. In fact, all three meetings this season have been goalless at half-time and we wouldn’t bet against that happening once more.

Even if there is a goal in the first half, it could open up the floodgates for an end-to-end classic. Either way, it would seem that this clash is set for more goals after the interval. That’s exactly where we’re putting our money.

With so much riding on the game, it could take a piece of magic to settle it. Alternatively, we may see the final Boleyn match brought to life by a mistake.

Whist we wouldn’t wish it on any of the 22 players, the prospect of an own goal shouldn’t be ruled in such a massive fixture. At 20/1, we’re backing that method to open the scoring.