Manchester United v West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
Saturday 28 August
Kick-off: 5.30pm
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
Match coverage - WHUTV - live audio commentary and post-match action and reaction, whufc.com - live text commentary
Introduction
• West Ham United head for Manchester United seeking their first Barclays Premier League point of the season, having fallen to defeat at Aston Villa (3-0) and at home to Bolton Wanderers (3-1) in their opening two fixtures.
• The Hammers' confidence has been boosted by a midweek Carling Cup second-round victory over Oxford United (1-0) at the Boleyn Ground. The draw for the third round will be made on Saturday. The seven English clubs involved in European competition will enter the tournament along with the 25 second-round winners. Third-round ties will be contested in the week commencing Monday 20 September 2010.
• Manchester United have taken four points from their opening two Barclays Premier League fixtures, beating Newcastle United (3-0) at Old Trafford before drawing at Fulham (2-2) last Sunday. Prior to those wins, the Red Devils also defeated Chelsea (3-1) at Wembley to win the FA Community Shield. This weekend's match will mark United's first Saturday 3pm kick-off of the 2010/11 season.
• West Ham will be seeking their first victory and first points at Old Trafford since Carlos Tevez scored the winner in a 1-0 Hammers success on 13 May 2007. Since then, United have won all three meetings, scoring nine goals and conceding just one - Dean Ashton's acrobatic volley in a 4-1 victory on 3 May 2008.
• West Ham's biggest-ever win at Manchester United came in Division One on 19 March 1927, when club-record goalscorer Vic Watson netted twice and Joseph Johnson once in a 3-0 victory at Old Trafford in front of 20,000 spectators.
• Manchester United's biggest ever home win over the Hammers occurred in the FA Cup fourth round on 26 January 2003. Ryan Giggs and Ruud van Nistelrooy both scored twice, while Phil Neville and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer netted once apiece in a 6-0 success.
Live broadcast
• The match is live on ESPN this Saturday from 4.45pm. You can catch the Hammers again on ESPN when they travel to Anfield to face Liverpool for another Saturday tea-time fixture on 20 November.
• ESPN have live matches each week from the Barclays Premier League, the FA Cup, Clydesdale Bank Premier League, UEFA Europa League, Serie A, Bundesliga, Dutch Eredivisie and UEFA EURO 2012 international qualifiers. For more information on how you can get ESPN visit espn.co.uk/tv.
• ESPN is available on Sky, Virgin Media, BT Vision, Top Up TV, TalkTalk TV and UPC (in Ireland) on the following channel numbers:
Sky: Channel 417 & 442 (HD). Virgin Media: Channel 529 & 530 (HD). BT Vision: Channel 34. Top Up TV: Channel 34. TalkTalk TV: Channel 555. UPC (in Ireland): Channel 407
Team news
West Ham United
• Matthew Upson may be fit to return following the facial injury he suffered playing against Bolton Wanderers last Saturday. Upson was kicked in the face by Kevin Davies and suffered a severe nose bleed, as well as damage to his lip.
• Defender Winston Reid could also return to the matchday squad after being rested for Tuesday's Carling Cup win over Oxford United, as were England trio Robert Green, Kieron Dyer and Carlton Cole, a late substitute.
• Thomas Hitzlsperger remains on the sidelines after picking up a thigh injury during Germany's international friendly draw in Denmark earlier this month.
• Hungary Under-21 goalkeeper Peter Kurucz has joined Jack Collison and Zavon Hines on the long-term injured list after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament while playing for the reserve team against Ipswich Town on 14 August.
• Tal Ben Haim and Manuel da Costa may also be in contention for Saturday's game. Ben Haim made a successful debut in Tuesday's win over Oxford, while Da Costa returned to the matchday squad for the same match following a short spell on the sidelines.
• Benni McCarthy will also be hoping to play a part at Old Trafford, having made a useful contribution off the substitutes bench against Oxford.
Manchester United
• England striker Wayne Rooney is expected to return to Manchester United's starting XI after missing last Sunday's 2-2 Barclays Premier League draw at Fulham with a virus.
• Long-term absentees Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves and Anderson will definitely not be available for Saturday's fixture.
Previous meetings
• The most recent meeting between the two sides took place at Old Trafford on 23 February 2010, with Manchester United running out 3-0 winners. Wayne Rooney scored twice either side of half-time before Michael Owen added a third ten minutes from time.
The lineups were:
Manchester United: Foster, Evra, Vidic, Neville, Brown, Valencia, Anderson (Park 19), Gibson, Scholes, Rooney (Owen 78), Berbatov (Diouf 78)
Subs not used: Kuszczak, Jonny Evans, Rafael, Fletcher
West Ham United: Green, Upson, Spector, Tomkins, Kovac, Noble, Behrami (Collison 63) , Faubert, Cole, Franco (Mido 45), Diamanti (Dyer 75)
Subs not used: Stech, Da Costa, Daprela, Ilan
• Saturday's fixture marks the 120th competitive fixture between West Ham United and Manchester United. The Hammers have won 41, the Red Devils 54 and there have been 24 draws.
Overall record
v Manchester United (all competitions) W 41 D 24 L 54
Last time out
• West Ham United needed a last-minute Scott Parker goal to defeat League Two new boys Oxford United 1-0 in the Carling Cup second round on Tuesday evening. Manager Avram Grant made six changes to the side that lost 3-1 to Bolton Wanderers in the Barclays Premier League last Saturday, handing debuts to Marek Stech and Tal Ben Haim and first starts of the season to Jonathan Spector, Junior Stanislas and Freddie Sears.
24 August 2010
Carling Cup second round
West Ham United 1-0 Oxford United
West Ham: Stech, Ben Haim, Spector, Faubert, Tomkins, Parker, Noble, Barrera, Stanislas (Cole 62), Piquionne, Sears (McCarthy 78)
Subs not used: Green, Ilunga, Da Costa, Kovac, Boa Morte
• Manchester United were denied a second-consecutive Barclays Premier League victory to open the new season by Fulham defender Brede Hangeland's late header at Craven Cottage last Sunday. Paul Scholes and a Hangeland own-goal had twice given Sir Alex Ferguson's side the lead in west London, only for the Norwegian to head past Edwin van der Sar with a minute remaining.
22 August 2010
Barclays Premier League
Fulham 2-2 Manchester United
Manchester United: Van der Sar, Evra, Vidic, O'Shea, Jonny Evans, Park (Nani 67) , Fletcher, Valencia (Owen 74), Scholes, Hernandez (Giggs 74), Berbatov
Subs not used: Kuszczak, Rafael, Smalling, Carrick
West Ham United
• West Ham United manager Avram Grant is seeking his first Barclays Premier League win since taking charge at the Boleyn Ground in June. The Israeli tasted competitive victory for the first time courtesy of Tuesday evening's 1-0 Carling Cup second-round success against Oxford United.
• Grant tasted victory over Manchester United during his single season as manager of Chelsea in 2007/08. A Michael Ballack brace saw the Blues defeat United 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in April 2008. However, the Red Devils gained revenge the following month by defeating Grant's side on penalties in Moscow to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy.
• The Hammers have so far brought in five new players this summer - Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, Mexico winger Pablo Barrera, France forward Frederic Piquionne, New Zealand defender Winston Reid and Israel defender Tal Ben Haim, who has arrived on loan from Grant's former club Portsmouth.
• Italian forward Alessandro Diamanti was allowed to leave the Boleyn Ground in midweek, departing for Italian Serie A new boys Brescia Calcio following a single season in east London.
• Second-year professional Matt Fry has joined League One promotion-chasers Charlton Athletic on loan until January.
• West Ham possess the tenth best all-time record in Premier League history. Since the Premier League was formed in 1992, the Hammers have contested 580 matches, winning 195, drawing 144 and losing 239. During that period, West Ham have amassed 731 points.
Manchester United
• Sir Alex Ferguson has begun his 25th season as Manchester United manager seeking a record-breaking 12th Premier League and 19th league title.
• To boost their chances, Ferguson has brought in Mexico FIFA World Cup forward Javier 'Chicarito' Hernandez from CD Guadalajara, Fulham's England Under-21 defender Chris Smalling and Portuguese winger Bebe from Vitoria de Guimaraes, for whom he failed to make a single competitive appearance.
• United have allowed five youngsters to go out on loan - forwards Mame Biram Diouf and Danny Welbeck have joined Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland respectively, Joshua King and Matthew James have linked-up with Preston North End, while Cameron Stewart has moved to Yeovil Town.
• Manchester United possess the best all-time record in Premier League history. Since the Premier League was formed in 1992, United have contested 698 matches, winning 450, drawing 148 and losing 100. In that period, the Red Devils have collected 1498 points - 183 more than nearest rivals Arsenal.
Ten-year league records
West Ham United
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th (53 points)
2000/01 Premier League 15th (42 points)
Manchester United
2009/10 Premier League 2nd (85 points)
2008/09 Premier League 1st (90 points)
2007/08 Premier League 1st (87 points)
2006/07 Premier League 1st (89 points)
2005/06 Premier League 2nd (83 points)
2004/05 Premier League 3rd (77 points)
2003/04 Premier League 3rd (75 points)
2002/03 Premier League 1st (83 points)
2001/02 Premier League 3rd (77 points)
2000/01 Premier League 1st (80 points)
Old boys
• West Ham United defender Jonathan Spector joined Manchester United as a 17-year-old in 2003. The United States international, who has a German passport, spent two seasons at Old Trafford - making eight appearances for the first team - before moving to Charlton Athletic on a season-long loan in the summer of 2005. Spector left Manchester United for West Ham in June 2006 for an initial fee of £500,000.
• Manchester United have two former West Ham United players in their squad. England defender Rio Ferdinand made 158 appearances for the club between May 1996 and November 2000, scoring two goals. Midfielder Michael Carrick scored six goals in 159 appearances between July 1999 and May 2004.
• Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Roy Carroll, Noel Cantwell, Luke Chadwick, Billy Grassam, Paul Ince, Ralph Milne, Frederick Milnes, Frank O'Farrell, Stuart Pearson, Dave Sexton, Teddy Sheringham and Raimond van der Gouw.
Officials
Referee - Mark Clattenburg
Assistant referees - Adam Watts and Martin Yerby
Fourth official - Mike Jones
• County Durham-born Mark Clattenburg will be Saturday's referee. It will be the first time Clattenburg has taken charge of a West Ham United fixture since the 4-1 Premier League defeat at Chelsea on 13 March 2010.
• After taking up refereeing as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, Clattenburg worked his way up through the Northern League and Conference League before being named to the Football League Assistant Referees List in 1999.
• Clattenburg was promoted to the National List of Football League referees in 2000.
• The 35-year-old was the man in the middle for the Championship play-off semi-final first leg in May 2004 when Ipswich Town won 1-0 against the visiting West Ham.
• Clattenburg has been on the Select List since 2004, the same year he took charge of the Division Three play-off final between Mansfield Town and Huddersfield Town at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
• After becoming a FIFA official in 2006 at the age of 31, Clattenburg has taken control of a number of international and UEFA Champions League matches.
• Saturday's referee opened the new Barclays Premier League season by officiating Chelsea's 6-0 home victory over West Bromwich Albion on 14 August. He has also taken charge of three European ties - the UEFA Champions League qualifiers between Hapoel Tel Aviv and FK Zeljeznicar Sarajevo and FC Copenhagen and FK Bate Borisov and the UEFA Europa League qualifier between Galatasaray and Karpaty Lviv.
Next up
• Following the international break, West Ham United will host Barclays Premier League champions Chelsea at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday 11 September, kick-off 3pm.
• Manchester United will travel to Everton in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday 12 September, kick-off 1.30pm.