Mark Lawrenson makes his prediction for Manchester United vs. West Ham
Manchester United and West Ham are scheduled to face each other in a vital Premier League clash at Old Trafford on Saturday. Ahead of the encounter, BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson has made his prediction for the fixture.
While the Englishman expressed his concern over United's inconsistent performances, he still tipped the Red Devils to pick up a narrow victory on home turf. Lawrenson wrote on the BBC's website:
"The race is on for the Champions League places with only two points separating West Ham in fourth and Manchester United in seventh. Ralf Rangnick's side, who have got a game in hand on the Hammers, are still a hotchpotch of a team. But they managed to beat Brentford on Wednesday which was hugely important for their season."
He continued:
"The Hammers are pretty consistent but the problem with predicting Manchester United games at the moment is that you don't know what kind of performance you are going to get from them. Every time they play, it seems to be a different story."
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When it came to the scoreline, Mark Lawrenson predicted a 2-1 victory for United on Saturday.
The Red Devils will look to continue marching in the right direction with a much-needed victory on Saturday. Ralf Rangnick's men returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Brentford on Wednesday. They had previously played out a 2-2 draw with Aston Villa last weekend.
Top-four in sight for Manchester United
The Red Devils are currently in seventh place in the Premier League table with 35 points from 20 games in the English top-flight so far. They have the same number of points as sixth-placed Arsenal and two points behind fourth-placed West Ham.
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A victory on Saturday would certainly propel Manchester United above the Hammers. Should Arsenal and Tottenham also drop points, Ralf Rangnick's men could potentially climb to the fourth spot in the table.
It is, however, worth mentioning that the Red Devils have played one more game than the Gunners and two more than Spurs.