Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy considered making a U-turn on his Premier League prediction for Manchester United’s clash with West Ham on Saturday.
Erik ten Hag’s men will travel to the London Stadium for a tricky test against West Ham on the back of their 0-0 Premier League draw against Liverpool last week.
United frustrated arch-rivals Liverpool at Anfield to secure a hard-fought point, with Reds manager Jurgen Klopp frustrated with the scoreline from the contest.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk pulled no punches towards United over their display away from home, with Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane responding in brutal fashion.
United’s draw against Liverpool came on the back of their shock 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth and their Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich.
United boss Ten Hag has faced criticism this season over his side’s results and lack of form, with the Red Devils suffering seven defeats in 17 Premier League matches.
The 53-year-old Dutchman will be hopeful of securing a result against West Ham before United’s final two matches of 2023 against Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.
Murphy’s prediction for West Ham vs United
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE, Murphy was asked for his prediction for United against West Ham and initially paused before saying it would be a draw.
Anton Ferdinand, who is the brother of United legend Rio Ferdinand, played for West Ham and backed the Hammers to pick up a 2-1 home win over Ten Hag’s men.
“I think that will be a draw,” Murphy said.
Following on from Murphy’s prediction, Anton said: “2-1 West Ham.”
Joining Anton and Murphy on ‘The Take On’ was YouTuber Flex, who suggested that United could pull off a “smash-and-grab” scoreline against West Ham.
After hearing Flex’s 1-0 scoreline prediction and smash-and-grab style of performance, Murphy responded: “Yeah, possibly [that could happen]. Yeah.”
Ten Hag will expect big performance from United
United are winless in their last three matches across all competitions and Ten Hag won’t want to see his side take a step backwards after the Liverpool match.
The Red Devils impressed in their 2-1 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford this month, but they have struggled to deliver that type of performance consistently.
However, Ten Hag should be heading to the London Stadium with Bruno Fernandes in his team after the United captain was suspended for the match at Anfield.
Raphael Varane also delivered a superb performance against Liverpool and stepped up for Ten Hag on the big occasion after Harry Maguire was ruled out due to injury.
Rasmus Hojlund is still going through a Premier League goalscoring drought at United, but Ten Hag has continued to back the striker through the tough period.
However, West Ham boss David Moyes will be pushing for his men to bounce back against United after their 5-1 thumping at the hands of Liverpool on Wednesday.
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