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Premier League | Gameweek 23
Feb 4, 2024 at 2pm UK
Old Trafford
Man Utd vs. West Ham
FOOTBALL
Preview: Manchester United vs. West Ham United – prediction, team news, lineups
Seeking a first Premier League double over Manchester United in 17 years, West Ham United make the long trek north to battle the Red Devils in Sunday’s intriguing Premier League affair.
Erik ten Hag’s men came up trumps 4-3 in a chaotic clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers in midweek, while the Irons and Bournemouth played out a much more low-key 1-1 draw.
Match preview
If the script was followed during the first half of Man United’s Molineux meeting with Wolves – where the reinstated Marcus Rashford took just five minutes to break the deadlock – Gary O’Neil’s men ripped up the screenplay as the game progressed and had seemingly snatched a point from the jaws of defeat.
Pablo Sarabia, Max Kilman and Pedro Neto – netting deep into injury time – has responded to efforts from Rashford, Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay, but just a couple of moments after Neto’s late leveller sent Molineux into pandemonium, Red Devils protege Kobbie Mainoo justified the ongoing hype with a spectacular solo effort.
Weaving his way through a sea of orange shirts, opening up his body and curling into the bottom corner with aplomb, the 18-year-old continued his rise to prominence with the goal that consolidated Man United’s hold on seventh place in the Premier League table, as crestfallen Wolves players dropped to their knees.
Amid the warranted praise for Mainoo, Man United were very nearly left to bemoan another dissatisfactory defensive display, one which saw them become just the second Premier League team to ship 50 goals in all tournaments this season, alongside relegation favourites Sheffield United.
Seven of those strikes have come in their last three Premier League home matches versus Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Bournemouth, but by successfully fighting fire with fire once again at Molineux, Man United enter the weekend with three wins and draw to show from their last four games in all tournaments.
While the on-field activity dominated West Midlands headlines on Thursday evening, transfer talk took precedence during West Ham’s underwhelming draw with Bournemouth, where Irons new boy Kalvin Phillips could hardly have started his Hammers career in worse fashion.
With just three minutes gone, the Manchester City loanee’s howler presented Dominic Solanke with his 13th goal of the Premier League season, but just past the hour mark, James Ward-Prowse did what he does best from dead-ball situations, converting the penalty which rescued a point for the Europa Conference League holders.
The Irons’ hard-fought draw keeps them one place and one point better off than Man United in sixth spot, despite now failing to triumph in any of their last five matches in all tournaments, but Thursday’s result soon paled into insignificance as details of Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals’s botched transfers came to light.
Late paperwork calamities – which are supposedly being investigated by FIFA – prevented Lyon-bound Benrahma and Real Betis target Fornals from completing their anticipated exits, but the latter’s departure has now gone through, and Lyon are still working to bring Benrahma to France past the deadline.
A six-game unbeaten run in the top flight is nothing to be scoffed at, though, and West Ham deservedly beat a meet Man United 2-0 at the London Stadium on December 23, but they have been condemned to a 1-0 defeat in each of their last three league visits to the Theatre of Dreams.
Manchester United Premier League form:
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Manchester United form (all competitions):
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West Ham United Premier League form:
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West Ham United form (all competitions):
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Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Mainoo, McTominay; Antony, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Areola; Coufal, Aguerd, Zouma, Emerson; Soucek, Alvarez; Kudus, Ward-Prowse, Cornet; Bowen
We say: Manchester United 2-1 West Ham United