Matchday 22 of the Premier League is wrapped on Thursday with two massive games, starting with Bournemouth's trip to West Ham and concluding with Manchester United's clash at Wolves.
West Ham have the chance to close the gap on fourth-placed Aston Villa to five points with a victory at home to Bournemouth, who would move ten points clear of the relegation zone if they claim the spoils.
In the second game of the night, Wolves will be eyeing a victory that would see them move level on points with opponents Manchester United, who have had their away troubles in the Premier League of late.
Recommended double: both teams to score in West Ham vs Bournemouth and Wolves to beat Manchester United
- West Ham vs Bournemouth - both teams to score
- Wolves to beat Manchester United
West Ham vs Bournemouth
It has been a slow start to 2024 for West Ham, who have exited the FA Cup and are yet to win any of their four fixtures since the turn of the year, and they face a tricky assignment when Bournemouth head to the London Stadium.
The Cherries have turned out three times this year, with FA Cup victories over Queens Park Rangers and Swansea coming either side of a heavy 4-0 defeat at the hands of leaders Liverpool in the Premier League.
It's now two straight defeats in the league for Bournemouth, who lost at Tottenham before going down to the Reds, and they now head to a venue they have suffered three defeats at from five visits.
However, Andoni Iraola's side have been in solid form on the road and they head into this contest with five victories from their last six away matches in all competitions, offering hope they can head back to the south coast with the three points.
But they will need to overcome a West Ham side unbeaten at home since the end of October and have suffered only three defeats at the London Stadium since mid-April last year.
It's difficult to predict a winner based on the evidence provided, so the play here is to go for goals and for both teams to find the back of the net in what should be an entertaining encounter.
West Ham have failed to score in just two of their ten league games at home this season, while they have scored in each of the past five meetings against Bournemouth, netting 13 times in total.
The Cherries have also been in good scoring touch, having found the net in 11 of their 12 away fixtures in all competitions this term, with both teams scoring landing in nine of those.
It is also three straight games that West Ham have failed to keep a clean sheet heading into this clash, while Bournemouth have the fourth worst defence in the division with 39 goals conceded.
Wolves vs Manchester United
The second Premier League match on Thursday will see Manchester United head to Molineux to take on a Wolves side eager for revenge after losing 1-0 at Old Trafford in their season opener.
Wolves were unlucky not to come away from the Theatre of Dreams with anything that night, but they will be confident of claiming the spoils when they meet in the West Midlands.
Gary O'Neil's side defeated West Brom 2-0 in the FA Cup fourth round at the weekend to extend their unbeaten streak in all competitions to seven games, and confidence is high heading into this fixture.
Wolves have been a tough nut to crack at home and they haven't tasted defeat in their last nine assignments at Molineux, a run of form which has seen them defeat the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham and hold both Newcastle and Aston Villa.
United arrive on the back of a 4-2 FA Cup victory over League Two Newport County, who came from 2-0 down to level the score before eventually succumbing to defeat.
Struggling against a side ranked way down the football pyramid is a huge concern for the Red Devils, who have had to deal with another Marcus Rashford disciplinary issue that resulted in him missing that victory in south Wales.
Erik ten Hag has not had it easy since taking charge at Old Trafford and his side have particularly struggled on the road of late, with three defeats and a draw coming from their last four away matches in the league.
They failed to score in three of those - at Newcastle, Liverpool and West Ham - while their only goal came in a 2-1 defeat to relegation-threatened Forest at the City Ground.
Poor away form has seen United slip to ninth in the table, 11 points adrift of the Champions League places, and a top-four finish looks unlikely given the team's inconsistencies.
This looks a great opportunity for Wolves to continue their impressive form at home and land a victory that would see them move level on points with the Red Devils.
A winning margin of two goals would be enough to see O'Neil's team overhaul United in the standings, so a correct score prediction of 2-0 or 3-1 could appeal given the extra incentive on offer for the hosts.
Another potential avenue to look into is the anytime goalscorer market and Portugal international Pedro Neto could be worth having a look at for Wolves.
The 23-year-old has recently returned from a long injury layoff and he netted the opener in the FA Cup win at West Brom last time out, his first strike since making his comeback.
Neto's pace should cause huge problems for a United defence that has conceded in six of their ten away outings in the league this season.
