Manchester United who were coming on the back of some fine form before their shocking defeat to Sheffield United has once again started to show some of the inconsistency which was such a big part of the team earlier.
A scintillating victory over Southampton and a 3-3 draw against Everton after that shows us why Manchester United need to bring more stability in their defensive shape through the season if they want to be considered as genuine contenders.
WHEN AND WHERE?
Date – 9 February Thursday
Time – 8:30 PM BST
Venue – Old Trafford
TEAM NEWS
This Manchester United side looks a bit inconsistent at the moment and their defensive frailties are beginning to crop up again. Pogba had to leave the field even before the half was over against Manchester United.
This seems like a worrying factor because he was just starting to come back to his peak again and his creativity and long balls from the back will be sorely missed by the team.
RECENT FORM
Manchester United form: W-L-D-W-D
West Ham form: W-W-L-W-D
KEY BATTLE
Bruno Fernandes vs Declan Rice
With the absence of Paul Pogba, more of the creative dependency will lie upon Bruno Fernandes and he certainly isn’t one who will back down from a battle.
Declan Rice is hot property as many of the top teams in England are trying to land the youngster. His defensive quality will be a key aspect if West Ham is looking to come away with something from this game.
MATCH PREDICTION
Manchester United has begun showing signs of inconsistency once again and the last-minute equaliser they conceded against Everton may still be playing on their minds.
West Ham has become a force to be reckoned with and the fact that they are competing for European football is evidence of how far they have come as a team. David Moyes would definitely want to inflict some damage as he returns to play against his former team and this could be a real crunch match for both sides.
Even though Manchester United has shown some defensive issues recently we predict a narrow 3-2 win for the Red Devils.
