Manchester United vs West Ham
Competition: English Premier League
Date: 5 December 2015 - Time: 15:00 GMT
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester
Man United have yet to taste defeat on home soil in the top
flight and have conceded one goal at Old Trafford this season. Louis van
Gaal’s side extended their domestic unbeaten run to six league games
with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Leicester City last weekend. The Red
Devils will face a make-or-break tie against Wolfsburg next week, as
they a victory to guarantee their progress. Rooney will
miss the match after suffering an ankle injury and will be joined on
the absentee’s list by Marcos Rojo, who dislocated his shoulder in
training. Jesse Lingard has been passed fit and could reclaim the left
flank role, though Memphis Depay is also in contention, with the
Dutchman also capable of playing centrally behind Anthony Martial. Ander
Herrera, Luke Shaw, Antonio Valencia and Phil Jones are all out through
injury.
West Ham United team are currently eighth in the table after starting the season
impressively. Anyway, they have collected just two points from their
last four top-flight fixtures and a Lambert’s deflected goal
denied the Hammers a win against WBA last weekend. The
Hammers have a good record against top clubs as they have already beaten
four of last season’s top six clubs - Arsenal, Liverpool, Man
City and Chelsea.
Slaven Bilic will be without Diafra Sakho with
the Senegal international likely to be ruled out for around two months
with a thigh injury. Andy Carroll should earn a recall to the starting
XI then, with Mauro Zarate, Manuel Lanzini and Victor Moses behing him.
Mark Noble and James Collins are also available for selection after
missing through suspension last time out. Enner Valencia and Dimitri
Payet remain sidelined.
Manchester United's record overall
against West Ham is impressive. They are unbeaten in 13 head-to-heads
and have won seven straight over the Hammers at Old Trafford.
Furthermore, they have been winning at both half time and full time in
their last 8 home matches against the Hammers in all competitions. The
Red Devils have kept clean sheets in five successive home games in
league and cup.
Probable lineups:
Manchester United: de Gea – McNair, Smalling, Blind – Darmian, Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Young – Mata – Rooney, Martial.
West Ham: Adrian – Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell – Noble, Kouyate – Zarate, Lanzini, Moses –Carroll.