Manchester United v West Ham United – Match Preview

Big Squad Changes: Kante Could Get His Chance

Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo is set to ring the changes and promote youth as he looks to get a vital victory against Manchester United. 

West Ham head to Old Trafford looking to bounce back from that grim, shot-less showing against Liverpool. The performance was flat, the ideas were few, and Jarrod Bowen looked like someone was seriously struggling for form.

To make matters worse, Lucas Paquetá won’t be joining us for this one after his moment of madness that gifted himself a red card. Petulant, avoidable and now a massive headache for Nuno Espírito Santo, who’s already juggling suspensions, injuries and half-fit attackers.

Nuno may have no choice but to push Mateus Fernandes into the Paquetá role and go with Magassa & Potts as the shield in midfield. Not ideal… but this is West Ham. However the absence of George Earthy from the u21’s side last night gives rise to the possibility that the midfielder is about to make his return to the seniors – whether starting or from the bench.

Early indications appear to suggest that Nuno has made a series of changes to his squad with the likes of Guido Rodrigues dropping out entirely. Mohamadou Kanté is one of a number of young players who have made the trip to Manchester and could appear on the bench.

Team Selection Headaches (Again)

Max Kilman was dropped for Liverpool, which was welcome but unexpected, so it’ll be interesting to see what Nuno does here.
Stick with Todibo–Mavropanos? Bring Kilman back? Switch to a back three? All on the table.

Summerville’s fitness is the big storyline. He’s missed the last two games and without him, West Ham’s counter-attacking threat pretty much vanishes. Unfortunately, Nuno has ruled him out of Thursdays game due to ‘minor issues’. Without him, Luis Guilherme could get his second start in three games although Espirito Santo could be tempted to revert to wing backs. Guilherme is rumoured to have been dropped from the West Ham squad altogether but at this point, anything is up for grabs.

Old Trafford: A House of Horrors (Mostly)

Yes, we actually won here in May. Only took 17 years.

Before Souček and Bowen stunned Old Trafford in that 2-0 smash-and-grab, the last West Ham Premier League win here was Carlos Tevez keeping us up in 2007.

Between those two wins?
16 league visits – 13 losses, 3 draws.
So… yeah. It’s not been great.

We also beat them here in the League Cup thanks to Lanzini in 2021, but aside from that, Old Trafford has been about as welcoming to West Ham as a tax bill.

What’s Going On at United?

Rúben Amorim has them playing better than last season (which isn’t hard) but Ruben Amorim is still a manager under pressure. They’ve rebuilt with Senne Lammens in goal and attacking signings like Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Šeško.

The bad news?
Cunha is back fit and training again – and Nuno rates him highly. Expect him to be a nuisance.

Šeško and Maguire are still out but United have more than enough firepower. They’re light for AFCON soon, but unfortunately that’s not now. The Red Devils away win against Crystal Palace was an excellent result given the Eagles form over the past year.

And our rumoured January transfer ‘target’ Joshua Zirkzee? Yeah, forget that. He’s playing, scoring and starting for United now. That ship has sailed up the Ship Canal and firmly docked in Salford.

Predicted Line-ups

West Ham United (Gonzo’s XI)

Gonzo’s Prediction

Hard to make a case for us here, especially after registering zero shots on target against Liverpool.

Manchester United 2-1 West Ham
We might score, but we’re likely to come away empty-handed.