IF this League Cup tie between Manchester United and West Ham produces anything like the drama we witnessed at the London Stadium on Sunday then the fans are in for a treat.
Jesse Lingard came back to haunt the Hammers as he fired home late on to seal a 2-1 victory for Ole Gunnar Solksjaer's men. But there was still time for a sensational final twist as David Moyes brought on Mark Noble to take a last-gasp penalty, only for David De Gea to save the veteran's effort.
That sent Manchester United level on points with Chelsea and Liverpool at the top and with Cristiano Ronaldo back to lead the charge, hopes are high of a genuine title push.
The biggest criticism of Solksjaer's reign so far has been his failure to deliver silverware and the League Cup offers him the first chance to get his hands on a trophy this season.
But it's probably the lowest of his priorities and with both teams juggling domestic duties with European campaigns this term, I'd expect a lot of changes to be made for this cup tie.
Moyes took the blame for his Noble failure at the weekend and the Scot is still seeking his first win over his old employers since leaving Old Trafford in 2014.
However, the Hammers have only lost once in the new campaign and it looks like last season's superb form was no fluke. So they will fancy their chances of pulling off a cup shock, although I suspect Moyes might also rest some of his key men.
How the bookies view it
Home advantage helps to make Manchester United heavy favourites to win inside 90 minutes at a best 11/20 with Novibet while West Ham are as big as 13/2 with Bet365. The draw at 90 minutes pays 7/2 with VBet while United are 3/10 (Unibet) to qualify and the Hammers 16/5 (Paddy Power).
Recent head to head
The Old Trafford giants have won four in a row against West Ham and are unbeaten in five. Their home record in this fixture is even more impressive, going 17 without defeat since Carlos Tevez scored a famous goal in 2007 to help the Hammers dodge the drop.
The teams faced off twice in Manchester last term and both ended in 1-0 home wins, with Scott McTominay scoring an extra time winner in a dull FA Cup tie (below).
Players to watch
Jadon Sancho's big-money move from Dortmund was quickly overshadowed by Ronaldo's triumphant return and the winger hasn't been given much game time so far. But I'd expect him to start here and Sancho is 3/1 with Unibet to grab his first goal in red, which looks good value.
Andriy Yarmolenko came off the bench at the weekend for West Ham and helped to win that last-gasp penalty. The Ukrainian could start here and is 24/5 with Unibet for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
The Old Trafford meetings between these sides last term were drab affairs and I cashed in by backing under 2.5 goals for the FA Cup tie that went to extra time. With both managers making changes, this could be a similar kind of game so I'm going for the same bet 11/10 with SBK. Betting against both teams to score also looks good value at 20/21 with BetVictor.
There was a penalty in the weekend clash and United were raging at two spot-kicks they weren't awarded. So it could pay to back another penalty here at 5/2 with William Hill.
This EFL Cup match between Manchester United and West Ham United will be played on Sep 22, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester United vs West Ham United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
