The last spot in the FA Cup semifinals will be handed out on Wednesday night at Boleyn Ground. West Ham United has been battling it out with Manchester United all season long for spots in European competition next year, and both teams would love to send a message to the other while securing a spot at Wembley Stadium for the semifinals of this illustrious tournament along the way.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
West Ham +178
Manchester United +156
Draw +233
Over/Under 2.5 (under -135)
ODDS ANALYSIS
One glance at the odds for this match, and you can tell just how gritty it could be. The two sides played to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford a few weeks ago to setup this replay, and this affair could be just as tight. The Hammers are the slight dogs at +178 on the moneyline, while Man U is only the slender +156 favorite and a PK -122 favorite on the Asian Handicap.
The total is relatively low at 2.5 and -135 vig on the under, something which shouldn't be a huge shock considering the fact that this match could be very tight both ways.
KEY INJURIES
The injuries for Manchester United are continuing to pile up. Wayne Rooney won't be available for this match as he continues to recover from his knee injury, and we don't know when Bastian Schweinsteiger will be available either. Timothy Fosu-Mensah was taken off against Tottenham over the weekend and must be reevaluated later this week, while William Keane got injured in the FA Cup two months ago against Shrewsbury and hasn't been back on the pitch since.
West Ham is playing without James Collins and Sam Byram. Diafra Sakho is the big injury worry, though. Slaven Bilic referred to the injury to the striker as "minor," but he did sit out the 3-3 draw with Arsenal over the weekend, perhaps in preparation for this duel.
THE FIRST LEG
It's tough to argue with the result from the first leg of this affair. Manchester United was outplayed by a small margin as we saw it, and the Hammers earned their 1-0 lead on a brilliant free kick by Dimitri Payet.
The Red Devils though, equalized when Anthony Martial, a real bright spot in an otherwise dismal season, found the back of the net. Martial was the best player on the pitch for the full 90, and he was deserving of his strike.
Still, the result wasn't good enough for the 75,000+ who were at Old Trafford, as they were expecting to book their place in the FA Cup semifinals.
Neither side left much on the pitch in that first one, as both teams used full sides this deep in the competition, and that should be the case again on Wednesday night, especially with no other cup competitions for either one to worry about.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
United really didn't look good against Tottenham over the weekend, and we wonder if this is where the wheels are finally going to fall off for the embattled Louis van Gaal, who figures to get sacked at the end of the term, perhaps in favor of Jose Mourinho.
When you look at the players up from the Red Devils have at their disposal, you can't be impressed. Michael Carrick has been nowhere to be found. Marcus Rashford's form hasn't been anything stellar. Martial has been excellent, but he can't go at it alone, especially if he's out on the wing as he was against Tottenham.
Meanwhile, Andy Carroll is in fine form after his hat trick against Arsenal over the weekend in his best match of the season.
It's only going to take one moment of brilliance to win this match as we see it, and we fancy West Ham to be the one which gets it.
FA Cup Odds: West Ham 1, Arsenal 0
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