West Ham vs Man Utd preview: Irons look to leapfrog Red Devils in Premier League as Fernandes returns for Ten Hag side

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MANCHESTER UNITED will be hoping to return to winning ways when they face West Ham this weekend.

The Red Devils travel to the London Stadium for the early kick-off on Saturday.

Man United drew to Liverpool last weekend[/caption]

West Ham suffered a Carabao Cup exit at Anfield on Wednesday[/caption]

United come into the game with just a point from their last two matches, a stretch that has seen them slide down the table.

Last time out, Erik ten Hag‘s side battled to a goalless draw at Anfield against Liverpool.

The season so far has been one of frustration for United, with the club currently well off the pace of the title and sitting in seventh place.

They were also dumped out of the Champions League with a bottom-placed finish in their group last week.

So a win against the Hammers would certainly boost morale around Old Trafford.

Three points could see United climb up to sixth and close the gap on the top four.

West Ham meanwhile were dumped out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

David Moyes‘ team were outclassed by Liverpool as they were hammered 5-1 at Anfield.

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It is the second time in only four games that the Hammers have shipped five goals.

The club were also hammered by Fulham 5-0 earlier this month before bouncing back against Wolves.

A win for West Ham would see the club leapfrog United in the Premier League table.

The East Londoners won the fixture last season after Said Benrahma scored the only goal of the game thanks to a blunder from David de Gea.

What is their form like?

Man United are without a win in their last three games in all competitions.

In recent weeks, the club has exited the Champions League and fallen further behind the pacesetters at the top of the table.

United’s last win came on December 6 as they beat Chelsea 2-1 at Old Trafford.

West Ham however have been in brilliant form generally, having won seven of their last ten games.

However, the two defeats the club has suffered have been by devasting scorelines.

The Hammers have been able to bounce back after the defeats to Liverpool and Fulham and a reaction will be expected against United.

Team news

Bruno Fernandes will be back for United after serving his suspension against Liverpool.

The midfielder will be a welcome addition against West Ham as he can provide some much-needed attacking impetus.

Ten Hag however will continue to be without stars such as Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Casemiro and Mason Mount.

Defender Diogo Dalot will also miss out after being sent off against Liverpool.

Christian Eriksen is back in training but the game against West Ham could come too soon for the midfielder.

West Ham will be expected to make a host of changes from the team that lost at Anfield.

Moyes will hope to have Maxwell Cornet and Nayef Aguerd back after they missed the cup match with illness.

Michail Antonio will miss out as a long-term absentee.

Who will be the star men?

Fernandes will likely be United’s star player, having come back from suspension.

The midfielder has contributed to six goals in the Premier League this season, scoring three and assisting three.

Against Liverpool, the Hammers allowed many efforts from distance, which could play into Fernandes’ hands.

For West Ham, their hopes could lay at the feet of Lucas Paqueta.

The Brazilian only played for 30 minutes against the Reds and will be fresh for the Red Devils.

Like Fernandes, Paqueta has contributed to six goals in the Prem and has also put in a solid defensive shift for the team.

What have the managers said?

Erik ten Hag wad proud of his team against Liverpool[/caption]

Ten Hag said he was proud of his team’s performance against Liverpool and wants it to happen “more often”.

He added: “I said that after the game in the dressing room, yeah, I am very proud of this team.

“We should do this more often. I said this. For instance, Newcastle was also a tough game and we make one mistake and switch off and then it is a goal.

“But when you stay in the game, and you are disciplined in your gameplan, finally it opens up and then you can take your chances.

“Or even, you can get two, three, four passes in after the ball regains, and get the switches in and then you can be really more dominant in the game.”

David Moyes is trying to rest some players[/caption]

Moyes spoke after the defeat to Liverpool and admitted that he was trying to “save some” players.

He said: “We were trying to save some of the players who have been playing all the Premier League and all the European games, and we’re to find a way of giving those boys a breathing space somewhere.

“But we’re also trying to give the other boys who’ve not played in those games an opportunity to show what they can do.

“We could use the word ‘rotate’ and we’ve not rotated that often, although we did in the really early games in Europe, and in some of them the performances weren’t that good.

“I’m going to need some of these boys during the really busy period, and the Africa Cup Of Nations is coming up and some boys are going to go away for that, and these are the players that are going to be involved in the coming weeks and months.”

SunSport prediction

West Ham 2 Manchester United 2

When is West Ham vs Man Utd?

West Ham vs Man Utd will take place on Saturday, December 23rd.
Kick off will be at 12.30pm GMT.
The London Stadium will host.

What TV channel is West Ham vs Man Utd on and can it be live streamed?

West Ham vs Man Utd will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1.
TNT Sports customers can live stream the match via the discovery+ app.
Alternatively, you can follow SunSport’s live blog to keep up to date with all the action.