Manchester United have been busy this summer as they look to win the Premier League title, despite finishing 6th last season. This will be Jose Mourinho’s second attempt at winning the title for United and they have a much better feel about them this time around, this is Mourinho’s squad just how he wants it. West Ham disappointed last season and they have also been busy as they look to improve on their 11th placed finish.
Travelling to Old Trafford is not what you want on the opening day of the season and this is sure to be a tough trip for West Ham on Sunday.
Manchester United Form
Manchester United have been involved in one competitive match so far, which was the UEFA Super Cup on Tuesday night. They were beaten 2-1 by Real Madrid in that game, but played ok and the competitive football will have done them good. They have also been busy in pre-season, the Super Cup tie was their 8th game of the summer and they have done pretty well. Only Barcelona and Real Madrid have managed to beat them, who are two of the best teams in the world and their pre-season campaign included a 2-0 victory over Manchester City, their near rivals.
United finished outside of the top four last season, eventually finishing in 6th place, which will have disappointed some fans. However, they did win the Europa League which mean that Champions League football will once again be back at Old Trafford. The league is their priority though and I expect them to really push hard for it this season.
West Ham Form
West Ham have played six pre-season games this summer and they have been disappointing, winning just one game against Championship team Fulham. They were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City last Friday and so far The Hammers have struggled, something they quickly need to address. If fans want to take a positive from pre-season it is that they have managed to draw three of their six outings, at least showing that West Ham are hard to beat, although things must improve.
West Ham finished 11th last season, recovering well after a disappointing start although I still think fans will have been unhappy with their performance last season. They are capable of better than 11th, they have a squad to be in the top half and this season they need to be better and show us what they are capable of doing.
Team News
Manchester United have been busy buying over the summer so I expect we will see a couple of new faces introduced to the starting line-up. The big signing is Romelu Lukaku who has been busy during pre-season so I am sure he will start the game on Sunday. He is key to their season and needs to get off to a good start, finding the net early. Nemanja Matic has been signed from rivals Chelsea to play in midfield, although he may take a game or two to get going as he has only just joined the club. Young centre back Victor Lindelhof is more of a long term project but we will see him this season and he has the pedigree to be a top class centre half.
West Ham have added two quality players to their defence and two quality players to their attack. On defence, Joe Hart has been brought in on loan to play in goal, while Pablo Zabaleta also joins from Manchester City on a free transfer. In attack, their new star striker is Javier Hernandez, who joins from Bayer Leverkusen and will be a fantastic addition. Winger Marko Arnautovic joins from Stoke and he has been fantastic in the Premier League for them, he is another great buy.
Top Betting Tips
West Ham look to be in a better positon than last season and I expect they will finish in the top half this season. They have added quality and experience to their squad, but that will not be enough for them to get anything on the opening day. Old Trafford is a tough place to play and I expect United to be even better this season with Lukaku taking them forward. I am backing Manchester United to win this game 2-0 which can be backed at 11/2 with William Hill and offers good value. West Ham look better than last season, but this game is still very tough for them and I can see them leaving Old Trafford with nothing on Sunday.