Man Utd v West Ham predictions: Lingard can drop the hammer on visitors again

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Manchester United v West Ham in the EFL Cup third round on Wednesday

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Football, 7.45pm Wednesday

Best bets

J Lingard first scorer
1pt each-way 9-1 bet365

Man Utd to win 2-0
1pt 13-2bet365, Betfair

Team news

Manchester Utd
Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo and Alex Telles are unavailable.

West Ham
Michail Antonio is available after suspension but Winston Reid remains absent.

Match preview

Jesse Lingard was a big hit with West Ham fans during a loan spell at the club last season and refused to celebrate his winning goal when he returned to the London Stadium back in a Manchester United shirt on Sunday. But he could find himself with a similar dilemma when the teams go head to head in the EFL Cup third round.

Lingard was United's super-sub at the weekend but can expect a promotion to the starting line-up and looks to have a great chance of getting on the scoresheet again.

There will be opportunities for other fringe forwards, such as Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho, but neither is playing with the confidence and assurance that Lingard has been demonstrating for club and country.

Lingard has spent the majority of his United career battling to earn regular game time but the best spell of his career came during last season's half-season loan at West Ham, where he netted nine goals in 16 Premier League appearances.

The 28-year-old's exploits were not quite enough to earn a place in Gareth Southgate's Euro 2020 finals squad but he has been undeterred and took advantage of a rare England start against Andorra by contributing two goals and an assist in a 4-0 victory.

His Premier League minutes for United have been limited to three cameo appearances but he has bagged two goals and is hammering on the door for regular involvement.

The sheer quality of Lingard's winning goal at the weekend was another example of how much he has progressed and, given the likely absence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes, he stands out as the main danger against a West Ham side which will probably be unrecognisable from the 11 who started on Sunday.

David Moyes has assembled a strong squad and was able to make five changes for last Thursday's Europa League tie at Dinamo Zagreb, where he watched his team pass a tough test with flying colours, winning 2-0.

However, Moyes is likely to delve even deeper into his reserves at Old Trafford and a battle of the second strings should be won by the home side.

The Red Devils may have to cope with Michail Antonio, who is available after a one-game ban, but they possess two good players for every position and their strength-in-depth marks them down as genuine contenders for the trophy.

United have watched neighbours Manchester City lift the EFL Cup for four successive seasons but they are hungry to secure a first trophy under Solskjaer and can take a small step forward by easing into the last 16.

Key stat

Manchester United have won five of their last six domestic fixtures.

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