West Ham United v Manchester United
Premier League, London Stadium, Sunday 7 May 2023, 7pm BST
The big matches keep coming for West Ham United as Manchester United visit London Stadium for a Premier League fixture on Sunday evening.
The Hammers welcome the Red Devils to E20 on the weekend that will see the Coronation of HM King Charles III at Westminster Abbey.
David Moyes' side need to return to winning ways after three straight Premier League defeats by Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Manchester City saw them drop back down the table to 15th, four points above the bottom three with four games to play.
The UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finalists take on a Manchester United side who were themselves defeated at Brighton & Hove Albion in midweek - a result which ended a five-match unbeaten run in the Premier League and saw them miss the chance to climb above Newcastle United into third place.
Tickets...
Tickets for this sold out game are available on the Ticket Exchange, with Season Ticket Holders who cannot attend this fixture relisting their seats for other supporters to buy. Click here to check availability or relist.
Travel...
With it being Coronation weekend and a Bank Holiday on Monday, London is expected to be busier than usual on Sunday.
However, the good news is that TfL services are largely unaffected by any engineering works, with only two short sections of the London Overground and the Waterloo & City lines being closed.
The fun continues on Greater Anglia, though, where the line will be closed between Braintree and Marks Tey and Shenfield. Replacement buses will take passengers from stations between Chelmsford and Marks Tey to Billericay, from where they can board a train to Stratford. Passengers who usually board at Ingatestone will be taken by bus to Shenfield, from where they can take a train to Stratford.
c2c services are affected by engineering work between Fenchurch Street and Barking. Trains are to be diverted into Liverpool Street and will not call at West Ham or Limehouse but will call additionally at Stratford. Passengers with a valid ticket can use London Underground Jubilee line services between West Ham and Stratford and DLR services between Tower Gateway – Limehouse – Stratford/West Ham.
On Southeastern, engineering works affects a number of routes. Click here to see if your train services are affected.
How to Follow...
Wednesday's game will be broadcast live by BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate in the UK, and will be shown across the world by the Premier League's international broadcast partners.
You can listen to commentary in the UK on talkSPORT and BBC Radio London 94.9FM and worldwide on whufc.com and our official app.
You can also follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle.
Official Programme…
West Ham United's 116-page Official Programme for Sunday's Premier League fixture is available to order online now for just £4, plus £1.49 postage and packaging*.
Copies will be sent via first-class post. Full-season subscriptions are also available, including all Premier League, FA Cup and EFL Cup home issues, from just £119, from the Club's official West Ham Programmes shop.
Team News...
West Ham United boss David Moyes will hope to welcome Declan Rice, Tomáš Souček and Nayef Aguerd back after the trio were ruled out of Wednesday's match at Manchester City through illness. Vladimír Coufal was replaced during the same game with a hamstring injury.
One player who will definitely miss out, however, is striker Gianluca Scamacca, who has undergone surgery on his knee issue.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will be without Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez (ankle/foot), Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek (knee), Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay, France centre-back Raphaël Varane and goalkeeper Tom Heaton (ankle). However, winger Alejandro Garnacho could be available.
Opposition...
As it stands, 2022/23 is set to be a successful one for Manchester United, with Erik ten Hag more than making his mark during his first season at the helm at Old Trafford.
The former Ajax head coach, who memorably led his Dutch side to a UEFA Champions League semi-final in 2018/19, has taken little time to implement his possession-based style at Old Trafford. And following a busy summer window that saw arrivals such as Casemiro, Antony and Lisandro Martínez, Manchester United have found themselves front and centre for the battle to play amongst Europe’s elite clubs next season.
But there is still work to be done, of course. Liverpool’s 7-0 demolition job against Manchester United showed that, while ten Hag’s men hold the advantage in the race for a top-four finish, their rivals from down the M62 have not given up in their bid to catch the Red Devils and take their place in the top four.
But with Manchester United holding fort, as it stands, they now need to get over the line. A Carabao Cup success has opened Ten Hag’s trophy cabinet at Old Trafford, but the 53-year-old will be looking to ensure this season ends with a place in the UEFA Champions League, rather than a second successive campaign in the UEFA Europa League.
Such has been the chopping and changing at Manchester United over the past seasons, and the standards their neighbours in blue have set, it is surprising to remember that the Red Devils have finished in the top top-three twice in the last three seasons.
Still, a club the size of Manchester United deals in silverware. And while Ten Hag’s 2-0 win over Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium earlier this year brought his first trophy – and the club’s first since 2016/17 – he knows Champions League football is the expectation for 2023/24, even with a FA Cup final against Manchester City on the horizon.
Whatever happens, United’s future does look bright.
You only have to look at a squad with the likes of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes to know the talent is there. The addition of serial-winner Casemiro added more experience and proven quality.
Of course, Manchester United are still a way from challenging for the title. And while the wait for a Premier League title at Old Trafford will stretch to over a decade, Manchester United fans will still feel Ten Hag’s first campaign at the helm has been a progressive one one. Right now, they just need a few more wins to secure that vital top-four spot.
Previous Meetings...
West Ham United and Manchester United meet in the Premier League for the 54th time on Sunday.
The visitors have had the best of things down the years, winning 33 of the 53 previous meetings, while the Hammers have won seven, with 13 draws.
Of those seven wins, five have come at home – with three arriving in the last six seasons. After defeating the Red Devils 3-2 in the final Boleyn Ground game in May 2016, the Hammers recorded back-to-back home victories against Sunday’s opponents in September 2018 and September 2019, by 3-1 and 2-0 scorelines respectively.
David Moyes has faced Manchester United 36 times during his managerial career, 24 of them with Everton, two with Sunderland and ten with West Ham United, winning five, drawing seven and losing 24.
Moyes also managed Manchester United 51 times during the 2013/14 season, winning 26, drawing ten and losing 15, including home and away Premier League victories over West Ham.
Match Officials...
Referee: Peter Bankes
Assistant Referees: Eddie Smart & Simon Bennett
Fourth Official: Paul Tierney
VAR: Stuart Attwell
Assistant VAR: Darren Cann
Sunday's game will be refereed by Peter Bankes, who is in his fourth season as a Select Group 1 official.
The 40-year-old will be taking charge of his third West Ham United fixture of the season, having been the man in the middle for a pair of 1-1 draws - first against Tottenham Hotspur on 31 August and then at Southampton on 16 October.
In his career, Bankes has refereed West Ham on five occasions previously, four in the Premier League and an EFL Cup defeat at Leicester City in September 2015.
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