Man U vs. West Ham
Venue: Old Trafford
Kick off: 8:15PM
One of the standout fixtures in the latest round of Premier League matches will take place at Old Trafford tonight as Manchester United welcome West Ham United to Old Trafford.
Man United are currently second in the table, 14 points behind leaders Manchester City, while the Red Devils sit six points clear of fifth-placed West Ham, who are firmly in the hunt for a top-four spot.
Man United ended Manchester City’s long winning run last weekend as goals from Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw handed the Red Devils an impressive 2-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are not currently in a title race, sitting 14 points behind leaders Man City, but the victory over the Citizens certainly boosted their top-four chances, with a total of 54 points leaving them in second position in the table, six points clear of fifth-placed West Ham, who have a game in hand.
The 20-time English champions were in Europa League action on Thursday night and appeared to be securing a 1-0 win in the first leg of their last-16 clash with AC Milan, but the Italian giants scored in the final exchanges to leave the tie delicately poised ahead of the return game next week.
Solskjaer’s side will also face Leicester City in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on March 21, but they simply cannot afford to take their eye off the ball in the Premier League as the race for the top four is fierce, with West Ham, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool very much in the argument.
Man United only have the sixth-best home record in the league this term, dropping points in seven of their 13 matches at Old Trafford, but they have been victorious in two of their last three top-flight encounters at home, including a 3-1 success over Newcastle United on February 21.
West Ham, meanwhile, will enter Sunday’s clash off the back of an impressive 2-0 victory over Leeds United on Monday night, with Jesse Lingard and Craig Dawson on the scoresheet for the Hammers.
David Moyes’s side have won three of their last four in the Premier League to remain in top-four contention, currently sitting fifth in the division, just two points off fourth-placed Chelsea with a game in hand.
The Hammers have the second-best home record in the league this term behind Man City but have dropped points in seven of their 13 matches on their travels, suffering four defeats in the process.
West Ham have also already lost twice to Man United this season – a 1-0 defeat in the FA Cup on February 9, in addition to a 3-1 reverse in the league game at the London Stadium back in December.
The capital giants have not beaten the Red Devils at Old Trafford in the Premier League since May 2007, meanwhile, when Carlos Tevez scored a famous winner on the final day of the campaign.
Man United possible XI: Henderson, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, Fred, McTominay, Rashford, Fernandes, James, Greenwood.
West Ham United possible XI: Fabianski, Dawson, Diop, Cresswell, Coufal, Soucek, Rice, Johnson, Bowen, Antonio, Fornals.