Carabao Cup: Hammers Out to Avenge Dramatic Defeat to Man United

Carabao Cup: Hammers Out to Avenge Dramatic Defeat to Man United

Manchester United vs West Ham United

Manchester United and West Ham United meet for the second time in the space of just a few days when they face off in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

United claimed a dramatic league win over West Ham in their first meeting, one that saw another goal from Ronaldo, a late winner from former Hammer Jesse Lingard, and a missed penalty by skipper Mark Noble.

The Carabao Cup 2021 betting odds have the Red Devils heavily favoured to go through at home, but with the Hammers getting their star striker Michail Antonio back, don’t discount their chances to get their revenge.

Talking Points

Man United look set to rotate

Manchester United made quite a habit of coming from behind to win away from home last season, and they did so for the first time in this campaign with a 2-1 win at West Ham.

Cristiano Ronaldo quickly equalised after Said Benrahma had put the Hammers in front. Then, substitute Jesse Lingard produced a fantastic 89^th-minute strike to haunt the team with whom he shone on loan last season.

There was some late drama after West Ham were awarded a late penalty for a Luke Shaw handball. Captain Mark Noble came on just to take the penalty, but he was foiled by David de Gea.

de Gea, as well as several other United starters, is likely to be rested for this midweek cup tie. With Dean Henderson still recovering after his bout with Covid-19, Tom Heaton is likely to get the start in goal.

Ronaldo, who has four goals in his first three games back at United, could also be rested, along with the likes of Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Raphael Varane, and Paul Pogba.

The United defence is likely to take a step back without their first-choice defenders. But such is United’s depth in attack that they should still be quite dangerous whichever combination of players Ole Gunnar Solskjaer picks.

Lingard has likely done enough to get a start after his winner against his old club. Meanwhile, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial might return to the first XI after only being on the bench in recent matches.

West Ham to get star striker back

West Ham will certainly be smarting after seeing their unbeaten start to the season end in such heart-breaking fashion against Man United.

David Moyes’ side did well without top scorer Michail Antonio, who was serving out a one-match suspension. The unorthodox strike partnership of Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen caused United some problems. They had seven shots between them and combined well for the opening goal scored by Benrahma.

The 26-year-old Benrahma has made a brilliant start to the season with three goals and two assists in his first five games.

But Moyes will be glad to have Antonio back and ready to produce some Carabao Cup 2021 highlights against a potentially rotated United defence. Antonio has also been in fantastic form, with five goals and three assists already to his name in five games.

Moyes has not made too many changes to his starting XI, although he has just started to incorporate summer signings Kurt Zouma and Nikola Vlasic. He will likely make a few more changes as the Hammers have their own European commitments to juggle this season. The likes of Manuel Lanzini and Andriy Yarmolenko could potentially get rare starts.

Meanwhile, Mark Noble might also get the chance to redeem himself after his dramatic penalty miss. The 34-year-old could come in for either Declan Rice or Tomas Soucek, who have both started all six games thus far in central midfield.

History

Man United’s win over West Ham this past weekend was their third in a row against the Hammers. The Red Devils have also claimed three consecutive wins over West Ham in cup competitions. They won 1-0 after extra-time in the fifth round of last year’s FA Cup thanks to Scott McTominay’s winner.

United also won 4-1 at home in their last meeting in the EFL Cup back in 2016. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Anthony Martial both scored a brace to lead the Red Devils to victory.

Betting Tip

Over 2.50 @ 1.89

SBOTOP odds have Manchester United as 1.54 favourites to do the double over West Ham at Old Trafford, with the Hammers priced at 5.60 to get the win away from home.

While both clubs are expected to field significantly rotated sides for this cup tie, there should still be some strong attacking talent on both sides of the pitch, particularly for United.

The high quality of attackers, coupled with some second-string defenders, will likely lead to another entertaining affair between the two sides that will result in a good number of goals.

Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.

Do you want to be informed about bookmakers' latest promotions?

 Click  and subscribe!