West Ham vs. Man United
Venue: London Stadium
Kick off: 2PM
Manchester United will be looking to bounce back from Champions League disappointment when they continue their 2021-22 Premier League campaign away to West Ham United this afternoon.
The Red Devils suffered a 2-1 loss to Young Boys in their opening group-stage fixture on Tuesday, but West Ham started their Europa League challenge with an impressive 2-0 success away to Dinamo Zagreb.
Goals from Michail Antonio and Declan Rice saw West Ham record a two-goal victory against Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia on Thursday night, and it was a hugely impressive performance from the Hammers, who have developed into an excellent team under the management of David Moyes.
Last season’s sixth-place finish, where they were just two points off the top four, has raised expectations at the London Stadium, and it has also been an encouraging start to the new Premier League campaign, picking up eight points from their opening four matches to occupy eighth position in the table.
The Hammers started their 2021-22 season with back-to-back wins over Newcastle United and Leicester City – scoring four times in each contest – but they were held at home by Crystal Palace at the end of August before playing out an uneventful goalless draw at Southampton last weekend.
West Ham are now preparing to face Man United twice in quick succession, as they will travel to Old Trafford in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night before taking on Leeds United in the Premier League on September 25.
Moyes’s side will then welcome Rapid Vienna to the London Stadium in the Europa League on September 30, and it will be fascinating to see how the manager balances the squad amid a busy schedule.
Man United, meanwhile, will enter this weekend’s contest off the back of a shock 2-1 defeat to Young Boys in their Champions League group-stage opener on Tuesday; Cristiano Ronaldo sent his side ahead in the early exchanges, but a red card for Aaron Wan-Bissaka turned the match, and Young Boys scored twice in the second half to deliver comfortably the shock result in the opening set of fixtures.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have plenty of time to recover in Group F, though, and they have made a strong start to the 2021-22 Premier League campaign, picking up 10 points from four matches to sit top of the table, boasting a goal difference of plus eight, scoring 11 times in the process.
Ronaldo netted twice on his second debut for the club in a 4-1 success over Newcastle United at Old Trafford last weekend, while the Red Devils have also beaten Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, in addition to drawing with Southampton, in the early stages of the new season.
Like West Ham, Man United have a busy end to the month, following Wednesday’s EFL Cup clash between the two sides with a home match against Aston Villa in the Premier League before ending the month of September at home to Villarreal in the Champions League.
The Red Devils are now unbeaten in their last 28 Premier League away matches, which is the longest run without a loss on the road in English league history, but there is no question that they will have a very tough examination by a talented West Ham side this afternoon.
West Ham possible XI: Fabianski, Dawson, Zouma, Ogbonna, Coufal, Rice, Soucek, Cresswell, Fornals, Bowen, Benrahma
Man United possible XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Maguire, Shaw, McTominay, Fred, Greenwood, Fernandes, Pogba, Ronaldo.