Manchester United will travel to the capital this weekend as Erik ten Hag’s Reds gear up to take on West Ham United at the London Stadium on Saturday. Both teams are separated by just one point heading into the game, with the Mancunians sitting in 7th and West Ham in 9th, with a win for either side taking them closer to the top four places.
West Ham United were last in action in the midweek in the Carabao Cup as they faced Liverpool at Anfield in the quarter-finals. It proved to be a disastrous evening for the Hammers with the Merseyside Reds running riot winning by 5-1. Jarrod Bowen scored the only goal for West Ham in a game where they were thoroughly outclassed by the opposition. David Moyes expressed his displeasure with the congested fixture list, having to rotate heavily for the game. The Saturday 12.30 fixture comes too soon for the Scotsman’s liking and he complained about the lack of recovery period for his team. However, despite the Anfield humiliation, West Ham have been on a good run, winning seven out of the last nine games and securing a place in Europa League knockout round. A tough three-game period beckons for the Hammers starting with the visiting Man United on Saturday.
Manchester United go into this game on the back of an encouraging 0-0 stalemate against a free-scoring Liverpool at Anfield, becoming the first team to stop them from winning or scoring at home. After an embarrassing loss to Bournemouth at home, United looked much more solid at the back and in the midfield last weekend, with a young Kobbie Mainoo continuing to impress on just his second league start. United have already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and Champions League, freeing up time on the calendar, which fans hope can help the team settle down after a string of injuries derailing the Red Devils’ season. The amount of injuries does not come as a surprise with United playing the most games out of any other PL side last season, and fatigue playing a decisive role in the injuries. The Red Devils will field yet another depleted side on Saturday, but the fans will be hoping for a win and turn in their form.
WHEN AND WHERE:
Date: Saturday, 23rd December 2023.
Time: 12.30 pm GMT.
Venue: London Stadium.
MATCH OFFICIALS:
Referee: Simon Hooper.
Assistants: Adrian Holmes, Simon Long.
Fourth official: Thomas Bramall.
VAR: Paul Tierney.
Assistant VAR: Derek Eaton.
TEAM NEWS:
West Ham United have only one confirmed absentee, in stark contrast to their opponents, with striker Michail Antonio not expected to recover from his knee injury for another two weeks. Defender Nayef Aguerd and forward Maxwel Cornet are doubts with both suffering from a virus.
Manchester United could be without as many as 11 first-team members on their trip to London with Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia, Casemiro, Mason Mount, Anthony Martial all confirmed to be absent through injuries and Amad Diallo facing a late test to availability. Christian Eriksen was pictured in training but Saturday’s game may come too soon for Dane whereas central defender Victor Lindelof is a doubt. Diogo Dalot was sent off with two yellow cards last time out and will be suspended for a game whereas Jadon Sancho will remain unavailable as his stand-off with the manager continues. However, there is some good news for the Red Devils with captain Bruno Fernandes returning to the squad after he served his one-match suspension.
KEY PLAYERS:
Mohammed Kudus
The summer signing from Ajax was highly touted to succeed at the club, but failed to break into the starting eleven at the start of the season. However, his patience and perseverance paid off as his fortunes gradually turned and Kudus was able to gain the trust of Moyes to start regularly, having started every league game since late October. He has repaid the faith of his manager with 4 goals and 1 assist in his eight starts so far, and has been instrumental in West Ham’s Europa League run as well, scoring 2 in 5 games. The diminutive forward has cemented his place with brilliant performances and with a brace in his last league outing, Kudus will be expected to trouble a shaky United defense again.
Rasmus Højlund
The Dane was signed for big money from Atalanta and was seen as United’s long term solution to their striker problems. Despite having a dream individual Champions League campaign which has seen him become the joint top-scorer, it has been close but no cigar in the domestic competition for the 20-year-old. The young striker has gotten close plenty of times in his 13 league games so far, but has fallen short of that maiden Premier League goal. However, he has been one of the only bright sparks in an otherwise lackluster United team and has impressed fans with his physical play and skills on the ball. The lack of service from United wingers and midfielders has certainly not helped Højlund’s cause, and Erik ten Hag will be looking to address that issue with his team.
MATCH ANALYSIS:
Form Guide
West Ham United will come into this game on the back of a 5-1 thrashing against Liverpool in the midweek Carabao Cup quarter-finals, but their league form has been decent as of late, with the Hammers having lost only one game of their last five and winning three games, including a win over local rivals Tottenham Hotspur. After a strong start to the season, the Hammers hit rocky road that saw them win only one league game from mid-September to mid-November. Since then their form has improved considerably, having won four games out of six. Their win against Wolves meant that West Ham have won five of their last six home matches in all competitions and will be looking to continue that streak again on Saturday.
Manchester United, on the other hand, are one of the most inconsistent teams in the league, having won 9 games and lost 6 out of 17 played so far. Their sole draw came in their last outing in the league against bitter rivals Liverpool. The Red Devils have won three and lost two of their last five league games. A morale-boosting win against Chelsea was followed up by an equally demoralizing 0-3 loss against Bournemouth at Old Trafford last week. However, they showed better quality against Liverpool, a game many expected them to lose by a huge margin. They have won just one of their last six matches in all competitions following that draw, and will be desperate for three points here.
Tactical Insight
Both David Moyes and Erik ten Hag have preferred a 4-2-3-1 formation in most games this season, but the Dutchman has adjusted his setups sometimes to accommodate his squad’s ever growing injury list. Despite using similar formations, they have relied on completely different styles of play, with the Hammers content with letting the opposition teams having the bulk of possession.
Ten Hag has emphasized the need for his side to be in control of the game more often, something which his team have not been able to do. A lack of control has hurt United this season, with opposition teams overrunning their midfield with ease. In contrast, David Moyes’ West Ham have been better organized and have often kept their shape well when out of possession.
Man United’s obvious weakness has been defending during transition, having one of the worst records in the league. West Ham, however, have emerged as the kings of counter attack according to the stats, having scored the more goals on the counter than any other team in the league. It is no secret hence, that David Moyes will be looking to hurt the visitors in transition, utilizing the pace and power of the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta.
Manchester United have had a tumultuous season so far with the Red Devils squad ravaged with injuries. Their first choice back four has lined up together only twice in the league and multiple absentees in various positions has forced Erik ten Hag to adjust accordingly. The result has been that United are languishing in seventh place in a season where they were expected to build up from last season’s third place finish and league cup triumph. Their defense and goalkeeper have been called into question on several occasion, with stats showing that United have conceded a goal every 73 minutes.
West Ham will look to exploit the unsteady United defense, but have to be aware of the quality of United’s players. Often when the Hammers have an off day it costs them dearly as seen in the 5-0 loss to Fulham two weeks ago. The hosts will have to be disciplined and ruthless from the start and keep United under pressure at all times to get all three points on Saturday.
PREDICTED LINEUPS:
WEST HAM UNITED XI: Alphonse Areola; Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd, Emerson; Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez; Mohammed Kudus, James Ward-Prowse, Lucas Paqueta; Jarrod Bowen.
MANCHESTER UNITED XI: Andre Onana; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jonny Evans, Raphael Varane, Luke Shaw; Scott McTominay, Kobbie Mainoo; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho; Rasmus Højlund.