Manchester United vs. West Ham United – FA Cup, February 9, 2021

The FA Cup fifth round kicks off this week, with Manchester United welcoming West Ham to Old Trafford on Tuesday, February 9.

With both teams battling towards the top end of the Premier League table at the moment, this is set to be an intriguing battle.

After discussing the betting odds, I provide my Manchester United vs. West Ham United prediction and pick.

The leading online sportsbooks are heavily backing Man Utd (1.50) to win this one. However, West Ham (5.50) has continuously proved to be a tough opponent this season.

With the Red Devils slipping up in recent games, the high odds for both the away win and the draw (4.50) are definitely worth considering here.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would have heard about Man Utd’s freak 9-0 thrashing of Southampton last week. But when it comes to betting on Tuesday’s game, it is important to look at the bigger picture.

Since knocking Liverpool out of the FA Cup last month, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have only managed to win one of their four EPL games.

A shock 2-1 defeat to lowly Sheffield United was followed by a lackluster goalless draw against Arsenal, with the victory over Saints coming soon after. However, the Red Devils twice threw away their lead to draw 3-3 with Everton last weekend.

Despite enjoying 62% possession and racking up 14 shots, Man Utd conceded three second-half goals against the Toffees. Bruno Fernandes netted a stunning strike just before half-time, yet Dominic Calvert-Lewin snatched a point for his side in the 95th minute.

I’m not going to lie to you – it is difficult to know exactly what to expect from Solskjaer’s men on Tuesday.

On the flip side, West Ham heads into the FA Cup fifth round, having lost just one of their previous 11 games in all competitions.

A run of five wins in six Premier League games has seen the Hammers cement their place in the race for a European spot, while easy victories over Stockport County and Doncaster Rovers have enabled the team to advance in the FA Cup without any problems.

David Moyes’ men can count themselves unfortunate to have come away from Craven Cottage with a goalless draw last weekend. Still, they find themselves sixth in the EPL standings – just six points behind Man Utd.

It is also worth pointing out that West Ham currently boasts a better defensive record than Solskjaer’s side. Yes, the Hammers haven’t exactly scored goals for fun this season. But they have been doing enough to frustrate their opponents.

Moyes’ side won’t go down without a fight on Tuesday, that’s for sure.

In my eyes, the price for the home win is far too low to bother with here. If I was going to back the hosts to triumph on Tuesday, I would want the odds for the home victory to be closer to 2.00.

In light of this, I believe the draw is the best bet for this matchup. Man Utd has been unpredictable of late, while the Hammers have shown that they can compete with the country’s best teams this season.