FA Cup Fifth Round: West Ham vs. Manchester United
Start Time: 1:45 p.m. CST on March 1, 2023
Location: Old Trafford, Manchester, England
FanDuel Betting Odds: Man. United -185; Draw +280; West Ham +460
West Ham (16th in the Premier League); Manager: David Moyes
Recent Results: 4-0 win vs. Nottingham Forest (Premier League); 0-2 loss vs. Spurs (Premier League); 1-1 draw vs. Chelsea (Premier League).
Manchester United (3rd in the Premier League); Manager: Erik ten Hag
Recent Results: 2-0 win vs. Newcastle (League Cup Final); 2-1 win vs. Barcelona (Europa League); 3-0 win vs. Leicester City (Premier League).
Manchester United projected starting XI (4-2-3-1):
Heaton; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Malacia; Casemiro, Sabitzer; Sancho, Fernandes, Rashford; Weghorst
West Ham United possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1):
Areola; Johnson, Kehrer, Aguerd, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek, Paqueta; Benrahma, Scamacca, Bowen
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Death, taxes and West Ham being drawn away against Manchester United in the domestic cups. The Hammers will look to keep their FA Cup hopes alive on Wednesday, as they'll take on the recent League Cup winners at Old Trafford.
I'm hesitating to overreact, but it seems as though West Ham's season has finally received the long-awaited jumpstart it so desperately needed. I couldn't believe my eyes on Saturday as I watched the Hammers score four goals in 15 minutes against Nottingham Forest, including a three-minute brace from Danny Ings.
Rice and a substituted-Antonio also found the scoresheet in the second half. It was an all-around excellent performance from this Hammers side, who separated themselves (for the time being) from the bottom of the table.
West Ham will meet some tough competition on Wednesday, as Erik ten Hag's Manchester United have transformed this season into a Premier League title challenger.
It was a bleak start to the Dutchman's managerial career at United. Losses against Brighton and Brentford to kick off the campaign highlighted the plethora of issues at the club in August. Fast forward to March and their defense seems impenetrable at times, the midfield has been transformed with their arrival of Casemiro, and Marcus Rashford has become the player many hoped he would be for United.
All of these changes culminated in a 2-0 win on Sunday in the League Cup Final against Newcastle. Yes, you can make the argument United did not have the toughest run to the Final, defeating Burnley, Charlton, Forest. But a trophy is a trophy, and I'm sure it will be the first of many for ten Hag.
For today's match, West Ham will likely welcome back Gianluca Scamacca to the lineup, which will give us a bit of help going forward. Zouma and Cornet should be back soon, but Coufal and Fabianski are both out with injuries until later in the month.
This fifth round action is particularly tough to predict. I'm not sure if West Ham are giving more false hope, but also United need to drop off at some point. But my glass half-full mindset thinks the Hammers will pull off some more magic, just like this certain Frenchman did six years ago.
FA Cup Fifth Round Prediction: West Ham 2 Manchester United 1
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