On Sunday evening, a key Premier League game will take place between two teams that are both in need of points, but for very different reasons. Manchester United will go to West Ham United. West Ham is in 15th position, four points above the relegation zone, while Man United is fourth in the Premier League table, four points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool.
Between April 8 and April 23, West Ham had seven points from three league games against Fulham, Arsenal, and Bournemouth. However, three straight defeats to Liverpool, Crystal Palace, and Manchester City put them squarely back in the race.
The Hammers dropped to 15th place in the rankings, four points ahead of 18th-placed Nottingham Forest, following a 3-0 loss to champions Manchester City on Wednesday. The Hammers had already lost a seven-goal thriller at Palace the previous weekend.
David Moyes’ team, West Ham United, has four remaining league games against Manchester United (home), Brentford (away), Leeds United (home), and Leicester City (away). Furthermore, they are set to host AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semifinal on Thursday, May 5th.
These remaining league games and the upcoming Europa Conference League match will determine West Ham’s fate in both competitions. If they perform well, they could potentially finish in a strong position in the Premier League and qualify for European competitions next season. Similarly, a successful run in the Europa Conference League could see them progress to the final and potentially secure their first European trophy.
West Ham needs to hit on the break
Losses in their next two games would put a lot of pressure on West Ham coming into games against Leeds and Leicester, both of which are trying to avoid dropping to the Championship, so they cannot afford to lose concentration in the league.
Despite having just 22 points from 17 home league games this year, Moyes’ squad can take solace in the knowledge that Man United has suffered seven away defeats in England’s top flight, including Thursday’s loss at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Even though Erik ten Hag’s team is fourth in the standings, four points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool, and has a game in hand, they are still in a strong position to finish in the top four. However, another loss in this game would make them extremely vulnerable, especially given that the distance could be whittled down to one point on Saturday when Liverpool hosts Brentford.
Team News- West Ham United
Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek, and Nayef Aguerd, who were all out against Manchester City due to illness, will all be welcome back for West Ham.
However, Gianluca Scamacca and Kurt Zouma will both be unable to take on Ten Hag’s team, while Vladimir Coufal will be out after injuring his hamstring against the Citizens. The lineup for the next match is expected to see some changes from the previous game at the Etihad Stadium.
It is anticipated that Rice, Soucek, and Aguerd will return to the starting lineup, while Said Benrahma may replace Pablo Fornals in the attacking lineup. These alterations are aimed at optimizing the team’s performance and achieving the best possible result in the upcoming game.
Team News- Manchester United
Alejandro Garnacho, a talented young player who recently returned to first-team training after suffering from an ankle injury, may join Manchester United’s squad for this match. For the 20-time English champions, Tom Heaton, Raphael Varane, Scott McTominay, Lisandro Martinez, and Donny van de Beek are still sidelined.
Ten Hag is expected to alter the starting eleven that played Brighton. Anthony Martial and Fred may be swapped for Jadon Sancho and Christian Eriksen, while Marcel Sabitzer will also be given consideration for a midfield position.
Predictions-
West Ham United 2-2 Manchester United
Date- 7th May, 2023
Time- 6pm GMT
Venue- London Stadium
