Man Utd v West Ham preview: Reds set sights on top four
After scoring his 701st career goal on his return to the side against Sheriff on Thursday, Manchester United officials might now be hoping that the Cristiano Ronaldo (37) saga could be beginning to ease at the club. The forward was dropped for last week’s Premier League clash with Chelsea after refusing to come off the bench against Tottenham Hotspur, but manager Erik ten Hag has now confirmed the Portuguese star is fully available for selection here.
Without Ronaldo, the Red Devils drew 1-1 at Stamford Bridge to extend their run to four unbeaten top flight matches (W2, D2), helping them to continue chasing down the top four. They will be confident of lengthening that run here against West Ham, especially as against teams they have played in 20+ home Premier League matches, United have their biggest win percentage (81%) against the Hammers, losing just twice in 26 meetings (W21, D3).
To make matters worse for the visitors, manager David Moyes, a former Red Devils boss, has never won a league game from the away dugout at Old Trafford, losing 11 times in 15 matches (D4). The Irons are in good form at the moment though, winning 11 of their last 17 games, leading to the demanding Scot tentatively admitting that the run put together by his improving side is “not bad.”
However, very few of those victories have been picked up on the road in the league where West Ham are without a win in four PL games (D1, L3). They have in fact lost ten of their last 14 top flight away matches (W2, D2), form which prevented them from finishing above Manchester United last season and is currently looking set to hamper their hopes of finishing in the European spots.
Players to watch:
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford (24) has picked up his joint-most career wins over West Ham (W9, D4, L3), bagging four goals and assists in the process. He will be trying to beat Irons goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański (37), who has kept just one clean sheet in nine appearances at Old Trafford (W1, D3, L5).
Hot stat:
After four successive shut-outs, Manchester United are searching for a fifth home clean sheet in a row for the first time since June 2020.
