After scraping two wins together in the past week, Manchester United visit West Ham in the opening Super Sunday clash at the London Stadium.
West Ham could leapfrog their visitors into the top four with a win whilst Man Utd can go third if they take victory.
Team news
Embed from Getty ImagesManuel Lanzini could be ruled out for West Ham if he fails to overcome a minor injury, although he will be subject to a late fitness test.
Winston Reid could potentially return from a long-term knee injury next weekend whilst Michail Antonio is still out with a thigh injury for the foreseeable future.
Left-back, Arthur Masuaku is suspended after being sent off against Aston Villa.
Manchester United have several doubts but Luke Shaw is definitely ruled out as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial could miss out with knocks along with Daniel James, who hasn’t trained in recent days due to an ankle injury.
Eric Bailly and Timothy Fosu-Mensah are both out with long-term knee injuries.
Form
Since losing on the opening weekend, West Ham are unbeaten in their last four league matches but played out a goalless away draw at Aston Villa on Monday night.
Man Utd have scored in all five league games so far with two wins and draws apiece on top of a home defeat in that period.
Stat Attack
- West Ham have taken four points from their last five meetings with Manchester United (W1, D1, L3).
- Both teams have scored three goals in three meetings at London Stadium, with the Hammers’ all coming in a 3-1 win here last season.
- West Ham’s Felipe Anderson scored in both meetings against Man Utd last season.
- United’s David De Gea is one of seven goalkeepers who have kept more than one clean sheet so far this season.
- West Ham have made the third most tackles from their opening five games, producing 107 tackles which is only seven less than current tackle leaders, Leicester.
Prediction
Given United’s injury woes and inconsistency, this is a huge chance for West Ham to turn the screw and take a huge victory which could be crucial in the eventual race for Europa League football next season.
I however can see a tough scrappy battle here because both teams tend to utilise their midfield to drive their attacks forward, so can see it coming down to who makes the least amount of mistakes.
A draw therefore seems a decent bet in my opinion although I do feel that West Ham could take the win here.
Prediction: West Ham United 1-1 Manchester United
Result: West Ham United 2-0 Manchester United
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