West Brom v Man United: Back Louis van Gaal's men to continue their improvement

Angel Di Maria has been United's best summer signing so far

Luke Moore turns his attention to Manchester United's visit to West Brom on Monday night and fancies a win for an improving Red Devils...

West Brom v Manchester United
Monday October 19, 20:00
Live on Sky Sports 1

West Brom

A mixed bag so far for West Brom under new boss Alan Irvineas the Midlanders have lurched from one differing result to another without being able to find any consistency so far.

Things have brightened up of late however, a narrow 2-1 defeat to Liverpool coming after two decent wins on the spin. In Saido Berahino the Baggies have a forward of genuine promise in goalscoring form and Manchester United will need to be wary of leaving the back door open, especially with their recent defensive form.

Albion could also be boosted by the return of influential midfield player Chris Brunt, and his left foot will be a potent weapon as Alan Irvine looks to add a showpiece result to his fledgling management CV.

Manchester United

It's been a testing start for Louis van Gaal as manager of the country's biggest club, but the facts are that United sit in fifth despite their dodgy start and there has certainly been improvement in recent weeks.

This is a side with plenty of potent weaponry going forward, but the Red Devils are still decimated by a lack of personnel at the back as well as serious injury concerns to experienced players in that area. But, there is a feeling that Van Gaal's methods are slowly being adopted and United should consistently improve from here on in.

The good news for United fans is that Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera have been back in training this week and could well play a part. Wayne Rooney is still suspended.

Match Odds

United are big favourites for this game, trading at an odds-on price of 1.78 at time of writing. West Brom are available to back at 5.1 and The Draw is sat at 4.1.

Despite being odds-on, I feel like United are priced pretty generously for this game; their last two games were wins against teams probably better than Albion at this moment in time and with the bit between their teeth I think they can outgun the home side here.

The danger is that the visitors completely lose their way at the back again and this could happen if United's more experienced defenders aren't passed fit, but overall I am happy to back Van Gaal's men at the 1.78 price.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals

1.8 is the price available on Overs here, and the market is clearly reacting to United's attacking threat as well as their tendency to ship goals at the back. That said, WBA don't really score many and it's hard to see where their goals come from outside of the aforementioned Berahino.

If you think this will be a low-scoring affair then Unders can be backed at 2.2. I don't feel particularly strongly about the price available on Overs, but I can't see either team keeping a clean sheet. For that reason I'll be swerving this market.

To Score

One player that has hit the ground running since moving to Old Trafford is ex-Real Madrid man Angel Di Maria. The Argentine has scored three in his five games in the Premier League so far and his energy, trickery and movement can bewitch teams far better than West Bromwich Albion.

In the absence of Wayne Rooney, Di Maria will have even more responsibility with the ball at his feet on Monday night, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him add to his goal tally. Back him to score at any time. He should be available at around 3.2or better.