Manchester United defeated Wolves 4-3 in a thrilling encounter two days ago, but they are quickly preparing for another Premier League match. This time West Ham United are coming to Old Trafford, just over a month since their win in the teams’ first match in London. Here is what you need to know before that match.
Team News
Man United will have their fair share of problems. Tyrell Malacia is still out due to a knee injury, as are Mason Mount due to calf, and Anthony Martial due to groin problems. The good news is that Malacia is back in training and should not be out for much longer. Following Morocco’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations, Sofyan Amrabat is back, and he and Victor Lindelof (groin) have a better chance of making the matchday squad than Aaron Wan-Bissaka (leg), who is also unlikely to make the cut.
At the other end, considering West Ham, Moyes will be without Michail Antonio (knee) as he has not yet resumed team training and is still unavailable. It does not seem that Moyes will have too many injured players unavailable, but the ones missing out will be important ones. One of them is Lucas Paqueta, and the other one is the suspended Said Benrahma.
Form Guide
Man United are getting in better form since the start of 2024, although they did not exactly beat any of the top teams and have had their fair share of problems in their last two matches. After a 2-0 win against Wigan in the FA Cup, they failed to beat Tottenham at home despite having the lead on two separate occasions. Then came the Newport County match in the FA Cup, where United started with their best lineup, but still conceded twice against the League Two side, beating them 4-2. And what can we say then about the Wolves game from a couple of days ago, where United had a 3-1 lead after 75 minutes, but still had to score the fourth in 97th minute in order to win the match 4-3. Hopefully the game against West Ham will be much calmer for Man United fans.
As for West Ham, they are in poor form and are still without a win in 2024. Their last wins came in 2023 and they were majestic indeed – beating Man United and Arsenal 2-0 on both occasions. But since, things have not been so rosy. A 0-0 draw with Brighton was fine, but a 1-1 draw and a 1-0 loss against Bristol City in the FA Cup were hugely disappointing. Then came two more draws, against Sheffield United away and Bournemouth at home, where the Hammers have failed to get closer to the top five teams in the Premier League standings. Bad news for West Ham is that they now face Man United and Arsenal in consecutive matches once more and both teams will be eager to get their revenge.
Predicted Outcome
It is clear that the Red Devils are favourites here, not only in terms of squad quality, but also form and eagerness to get their revenge. We predict Manchester United will beat West Ham 2-0 and continue their winning streak. Erik Ten Hag and his players could use a less chaotic match for once.
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