Manchester United will try to keep their unbeaten run going when they host West Ham United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Fresh from their victory over Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Europa League, Manchester United will now shift their attention to the Premier League, with West Ham United their next opponent at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Having stitched a sequence of a seven-match unbeaten run, Manchester United will now try to breach the top four with a win over the Hammers. A last-minute Casemiro equaliser saved them from their fourth defeat. But the Red Devils have pulled off some brilliant results with wins over Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur coming in this unbeaten run.
Erik ten Hag has clearly overseen progress after some initial hiccups, and the Dutch manager will not like to have any disruption as his team now tries to climb up the table. With only eight points separating the top six, Manchester United want to make it count. They have just three more games before the World Cup commences and want to wrap up this schedule with a place in the top four.
West Ham United have endured a similar kind of fate in domestic football as three losses in the opening three games had dented their chances of finishing in the top half of the table. But they made a brilliant comeback with a few crucial wins, including a controversial one over Bournemouth in the last outing. Kurt Zouma scored the first goal, but it had struck Thilo Kehrer’s hand before it reached Zouma.
VAR ruled out any possibilities of handball, deeming the hand was in a natural position and paving the way for a win for West Ham. The Hammers have not had much luck at Old Trafford, failing to win a Premier League game at Manchester United since 2007.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester United
🗣️ “When it’s functional I don’t have a problem with that. You are in the theatre of dreams, you have to entertain!”
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag on the Antony spin. 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/whkbzT0iQc
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 28, 2022
Manchester United lost Raphael Varane last week, with his World Cup hopes hanging by a thread. But Donny van de Beek and Harry Maguire returned to action against Sheriff Tiraspol. Meanwhile, Anthony Martial has resumed training, but this fixture comes too soon for Frenchman.
David de Gea is not included in the 55-man probable list for the Spanish national side for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. And he needs to answer his critics with a superb display between the sticks.
Harry Maguire is slated to make his first start since September, while Lisandro Martinez will keep his place at the heart of the Manchester United defence. Diogo Dalot scored his first goal this season against Sheriff and will try to open his account in the Premier League.
Luke Shaw should win the competition to feature on the left side of the Manchester United defence. Casemiro and Christian Eriksen have formed a solid partnership in the midfield, and Erik ten Hag should not be tinkering with his preferred options in the middle of the park.
Antony attracted a lot of ire for his showboating against Sheriff, but that should not threaten his place in the team. Jadon Sancho has struggled to create an impact and will have another chance to find his scoring boot from the left-hand side.
Bruno Fernandes will start in the pocket just behind the main striker. And finally, Marcus Rashford, currently Manchester United’s top scorer, will spearhead the attack against West Ham.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Eriksen, Casemiro; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Sancho; Rashford
West Ham United
Craig Dawson and Lucas Paqueta are touch and go and could be in the squad against Manchester United. Nayef Aguerd made his first appearance in the UEFA Europa Conference League but will not be risked before the World Cup.
Lukasz Fabianski will keep his place between the sticks, with West Ham lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him. Kurt Zouma and Thilo Kehrer kept a clean sheet in the last game and will team up once again. Ben Johnson and Aaron Cresswell will operate from the right and left sides, respectively as the two full-backs.
Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice will form a double pivot to act as a shield in front of the Manchester United attackers. Flynn Downes should start in an advanced role, with Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma flanking him from both sides. Finally, Gianluca Scamacca will hope to find the net on his first visit to Old Trafford.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Johnson, Zouma, Kehrer, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Downes, Benrahma; Scamacca
Key Stats
- Manchester United have won their last four Premier League matches against West Ham, United their best winning run versus the Hammers since an eight-game run between 2008 and 2012. West Ham have picked up just three points in their last 14 Premier League visits to Manchester United (D3 L11) since their last win there in May 2007 thanks to a Carlos Tevez winner.
- West Ham have lost more away Premier League matches against Manchester United than they have versus any other side (21). Meanwhile, the Red Devils have only won more home games against Tottenham Hotspur (24).
- Manchester United have lost just one of their last 14 Premier League home games (W8 D5), having lost six of their previous 13 at Old Trafford before this. They are looking to keep three consecutive home clean sheets for the first time since June 2020 (a run of four).
- West Ham have kept just two clean sheets in their last 17 Premier League away games and have won just two of their last 14 on the road (D2 L10).
- Bruno Fernandes has created more chances than any other Manchester United player in the Premier League this season (28), while only Marcus Rashford (25) has had more shots than the Portuguese (23). However, Fernandes has only faced Chelsea (6) more often without scoring in the Premier League than he has West Ham (5).
Player to Watch
Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford has returned with more vigour this season. And the result is pretty evident as he seems to have finally broken his shackles under Erik ten Hag. His tally of six goals this season is the highest amongst Manchester United’s forwards, and ten Hag will rely on him once again to provide a breakthrough in this important clash.
Prediction
Manchester United 2-0 West Ham United
Since their opening-day defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, United have turned Old Trafford into a fortress as they have not faced a defeat since then. West Ham’s poor away record against the Red Devils also should play at the back of the Hammers’ mind. And the home side is expected to run away with all the points.
David Moyes has never won away against Manchester United in the Premier League, drawing four and losing 11 of his 15 visits. His sides have scored just ten goals across these 15 visits. So odds are stacked against West Ham, and the Red Devils should clinch a 2-0 win here.
