Manchester United will aim to build on the win over Crystal Palace this past weekend when they welcome West Ham United to Old Trafford on Thursday.
The curtains will fall on Gameweek 14 of the 2025/26 Premier League season on Thursday. Manchester United vs West Ham United will be the final match of the latest round of fixtures, with both sides eager to clinch a victory at Old Trafford this week.
Manchester United’s resurgence under Ruben Amorim continued this past weekend after a brief stutter against Everton ten days ago. A three-game winless run frustrated Amorim and the fans. However, a resolute display against Crystal Palace helped Manchester United return to winning ways, with the result helping the Red Devils rise to fifth in the Premier League standings.
On the other hand, West Ham United’s revival under Nuno Espirito Santo hit a brick wall this past weekend, as Liverpool handed them a 2-0 defeat at the London Stadium. While the Hammers were solid for the most part, they were listless in the final third. To make matters worse, Lucas Paqueta’s meltdown after receiving a booking earned him a red card. Nevertheless, they have been impressive in recent weeks, climbing out of the relegation zone after a few positive results.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 2-0 win for West Ham United, with Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen finding the back of the net for the East London outfit. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester United
Ruben Amorim has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Manchester United manager will be bereft of the services of only two first-team players vs West Ham United on Thursday.
Matheus Cunha is set to be fit and available to take on West Ham United after recovering from a knock. So, Harry Maguire (hamstring) and Benjamin Sesko (knee) are the only players in the treatment room for the home side.
Senne Lammens is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs West Ham United on Thursday. The central defensive unit will feature Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, and Lisandro Martinez. Martinez’s return will enable Luke Shaw to play as the left wing-back, while Amad Diallo will start on the right flank.
The two wing-backs will protect the centre-backs and provide width in the final third. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in the double pivot. Finally, Joshua Zirkzee will lead the line for Manchester United against West Ham United, with Mason Mount and Bryan Mbeumo being the supporting cast.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Lammens; Mazraoui, de Ligt, Martinez; Amad, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Shaw; Mbeumo, Mount; Zirkzee
West Ham United
Unlike his counterpart in the Manchester United dugout, Nuno Espirito Santo has a new issue to worry about ahead of the trip to Old Trafford. The West Ham United manager may be without four first-team players on Thursday.
Lucas Paqueta is the latest absentee after being sent off against Liverpool this past weekend. Additionally, Lukasz Fabianski (lower back) and Oliver Scarles (shoulder) remain in the treatment room. Nuno Espirito Santo is also sweating over Crysencio Summerville’s fitness, and the Dutch winger should return on the weekend.
Alphonse Areola will take his usual spot between the sticks, with West Ham United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Thursday. The backline will feature Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, and El Hadji Malick Diouf.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Freddie Potts and Tomas Soucek in the double pivot. Mateus Fernandes will reprise the no. 10 role, with Jarrod Bowen and Luis Guilherme being the two wide attackers. Finally, Callum Wilson will spearhead the West Ham attack against Manchester United.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Diouf; Potts, Soucek; Bowen, Mateus Fernandes, Guilherme; Wilson
Key Stats
- Manchester United have lost four of their five Premier League games vs West Ham United (W1), more than they had in their previous 28 against the Hammers (W19 D6 L3). West Ham did the Premier League double over Manchester United in the 2024/25 season. They last won three successive matches against the Red Devils between December 2006 and December 2007.
- Manchester United have lost nine of their 14 most recent Premier League matches in December (W4 D1), including the last three without scoring. They had been unbeaten in 15 games in the festive period before this run (W12 D3).
- Since a 3-0 win over Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest in August, West Ham United are winless in four Premier League away games (D2 L2), all under the Portuguese tactician since he arrived. The last West Ham manager to fail to win his first five Premier League matches on the road was Avram Grant in 2010 (first nine games).
- Ruben Amorim has lost nine of his 19 Premier League games at Old Trafford as Manchester United boss (W8 D2). Should the Red Devils lose this match, it will be the fastest-ever time a Red Devils manager has lost ten home top-flight matches. The current fastest is 23 games by AH Albut between 1892 and 1894.
- Jarrod Bowen scored in both of West Ham United’s meetings with Manchester United in the Premier League in the 2024/25 season. The last player to score in three successive top-flight matches against them for the Hammers was Jermain Defoe (2001-2002).
Player to Watch
Bruno Fernandes
While Jarrod Bowen, Mateus Fernandes, and Bryan Mbeumo were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bruno Fernandes as the Player to Watch for Thursday’s Premier League clash between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford.
The Manchester United captain pulled the strings as his side beat Crystal Palace this past weekend. His exploits took Fernandes to fourth on the all-time Premier League assists list for the club, ahead of Paul Scholes. However, his record against West Ham United has not been impressive.
The Portuguese international has played more Premier League games against West Ham United without scoring than any other club (11). He has failed to score with his 27 shots against the Hammers. So, Bruno Fernandes will be eager to correct that record and deliver the goods for his team again this midweek.
Prediction
Manchester United 2-1 West Ham United
Manchester United will hope the nightmares of their most recent night fixture do not haunt them when they face West Ham United on Thursday. However, the hosts can take heart from their record at Old Trafford this season, the frustrating defeat to Everton notwithstanding. Additionally, the Hammers have yet to win a game on the road under Nuno Espirito Santo.
However, Manchester United have faced many frustrating evenings against teams managed by the Portuguese tactician in the last half a decade, and the West Ham boss will set his team up to trouble the home side again. But Bruno Fernandes will make the difference for Manchester United again, and The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Ruben Amorim and his charges.
