Predicted starting XIs for Manchester United vs West Ham
Manchester United will take on West Ham United in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Saturday night. The Red Devils will head into their game against David Moyes' side on the back of a 3-1 victory away at Brentford in midweek.
The Red Devils will be desperate to claim all three points and keep up pace with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and West Ham in the race for Champions League qualification.
Ralf Rangnick provided an update on his squad and the availability of his players for Saturday's Premier League encounter with on Manchester United's website.
Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan Bissake have been ruled out of action this weekend due to injury. Full-backs Alex Telles and Diogo Dalot are therefore likely to retain their places in the starting line-up against West Ham.
Victor Lindelof is set to miss his side's clash with the Hammers due to personal reasons, whilst Eric Bailly is on international duty with Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations. Rangnick could therefore be forced to start out-of-form defender Harry Maguire.
Ralf Ragnick has revealed that he is unsure about the availability of Jadon Sancho for Manchester United's game against West Ham. The winger missed training in midweek as he had to attend a family funeral on Wednesday.
"He [Jadon Sancho] attended the [family] funeral on Wednesday. It's still affected him quite a lot. He's expected back today at three o'clock. Right now, I'm not sure if he will be available because it was an important member of the family, someone he was close to all his life. We've got to wait and see and speak after training," said Rangnick as per Manchester United's website.
Anthony Elanga could be set to retain his place in Manchester United's starting line-up. The teenager was praised by Rangnick for his performances against Aston Villa and Brentford. He scored his first goal of the season against the Bees in midweek.
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West Ham United, on the other hand, are set to welcome back Tomas Soucek and Kurt Zouma for their game against Ralf Rangnick's side. The duo were unavailable for West Ham's 3-2 defeat to Leeds United last week due to COVID-19 and injury respectively.
Angelo Ogbonna and Mark Noble are likely to be sidelined this weekend due to injury. Said Benrahma is unlikely to be involved this weekend despite Algeria's shock exit from the Africa Cup of Nations group stages.
Possible starting XI for Manchester United and West Ham today
Manchester United XI: David de Gea, Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane, Alex Telles, Fred, Scott McTominay, Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood, Anthony Elanga, Cristiano Ronaldo.
West Ham United XI: Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Issa Diop, Aaron Cresswell, Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek, Jarrod Bowen, Pablo Fornals, Manuel Lanzini, Michail Antonio.
Manchester United must be quick off the blocks if they are to claim all three points against West Ham
The Red Devils' first-half performance at Brentford in midweek was a huge source of concern for Ralf Rangnick and the club's fans. The visitors were utterly dominated by Thomas Frank's side and had to depend on the heroics of in-form goalkeeper David de Gea to stay in the game.
A combination of spectacular saves from the Spanish shot stopper and wastefulness in front of goal from Brentford prevented the Bees from taking the lead against Manchester United. The newly promoted club managed to register eight shots on target during the course of the game as opposed to United's five.
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West Ham United have been inconsistent in recent weeks, winning three of their last five games in the Premier League. The Hammers have, however, established themselves as a challenger for a Champions League place this season.
David Moyes's side are likely to fancy their chances of claiming victory at Old Trafford tonight. West Ham will be eager to take revenge after their 2-1 loss to the Red Devils at home earlier this season.