Manchester United host West Ham on Saturday afternoon in a meeting between two of the Premier League sides chasing Champions League qualification next season.
West Ham go into the weekend precariously occupying that precious fourth place but a win for Manchester United would allow the Red Devils to leapfrog the upcoming visitors, while retaining a game in hand.
Here’s all you need to know about what could prove to be a decisive meeting come the end of the season.
When is kick off? Saturday 22 January, 15:00 (GMT)
Where is the match being played? Old Trafford
TV channel/live stream? Sky Sports Soccer Saturday, BBC One Final Score (UK), Peacock (US), DAZN (Canada)
Highlights? Sky Sports Football YouTube, Match of the Day
Referee? Jonathan Moss
VAR? Paul Tierney
?? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ???????? ?? pic.twitter.com/sEqVlDXp26
— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) December 5, 2021
Paul Pogba is creeping closer to a return from an injury layoff that has kept him bound to the treatment room since late October, with a return in February predicted.
Aaron Wan Bissaka is also expected to reappear following the upcoming international break as he recovers from an illness. Luke Shaw and Edinson Cavani are doubts after pulling up with muscle injuries during training.
Jadon Sancho’s availability is left uncertain with hamstring issues of his own and Eric Bailly is still at the Africa Cup of Nations.
You can read Man Utd’s predicted lineup here.
Both Kurt Zouma and Tomas Soucek are doubts for Saturday’s match as the pair recover from COVID-19. A hamstring injury has prevented Zouma from making an appearance this calendar year and Moyes was not optimistic when he rated the immediacy of his centre back’s return.
Mark Noble is struggling with a knee injury though nowhere near as serious as the damage done to Angelo Ogbonna’s ACL, which has ruled the Italian out for the remainder of the campaign.
You can read West Ham’s predicted lineup here.
Just three days after Noble failed to convert a dramatic last gasp penalty in the Premier League reverse fixture, West Ham proved triumphant in the League Cup away to Manchester United back in September.
However, Old Trafford victories have been hard to come by for the Hammers across a fixture which was first contested more than 100 years ago. West Ham haven’t won a league game at the Theatre of Dreams since May 2007, when Carlos Tevez – then in claret and blue – netted the only goal as part of the club’s controversial relegation escape.
Two of the three figures that have taken charge of Manchester United this season started on that summer afternoon, while Cristiano Ronaldo came off the bench for a team including Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick.
Manchester United may have lost just once under Rangnick’s stewardship, but they have struggled to cobble together a spell of remotely convincing football that lasts longer than a typical sitcom.
David de Gea – the club’s player of the month two times on the trot going into January – has once again thrived behind a porous defence. Thomas Frank branded United as ‘unbelievably lucky’ to beat his Brentford side in midweek.
West Ham have shown inadequacies of their own, particularly in a backline that needs reinforcements, but will no doubt become the latest team to cause Manchester United headaches, especially after a clear week to prepare.
Prediction: Manchester United 1-1 West Ham
