West Ham United will be looking to cause an upset when they host Manchester United at the London Stadium on Sunday.
The Hammers are unbeaten since matchday 1 when they lost to United’s cross-town rivals Manchester City 5-0. They are currently level on points with the Red Devils, though both sides have accumulated the same number of points. That means a win this weekend could potentially help the London outfit overtake defending champions City by the end of this weekend’s round of fixtures.
Here is how Manuel Pellegrini’s men may feature in this game.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Defence
Pellegrini is not a fan of changing the core of his team. But on Sunday, he could be forced to make one change as Arthur Masuaku is suspended after being sent off in the draw with Aston Villa in the last game.
Pellegrini has already confirmed that Aaron Cresswell will deputise the Congolese international in the left-back slot. As for Ryan Fredericks, he will continue to start over Pablo Zabaleta on the opposite flank.
Winston Reid is nearing his return to full fitness. But, Sunday’s game against United could come a little too soon for him. Nonetheless, we expect Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop to retain their place at the heart of West Ham’s four-man backline. The duo has conceded only one goal in their last three matches.
Lukasz Fabianski is a guaranteed starter in goal, having already kept a couple of clean sheets this campaign.
Midfield
No changes are needed in midfield, with Declan Rice sitting in as the holding midfielder alongside Mark Noble. The young English international will be expected to provide the defensive cover for the backline.
As for Noble, his composure on the ball and experience could be crucial against a relatively young Manchester United setup.
Attack
Manuel Lanzini is a fresh doubt ahead of this clash. The Argentine picked up a knock and will be assessed prior to the game. And although we do expect him to start, new signing Pablo Fornals is in line to start, should he miss out from the starting eleven.
Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson, meanwhile, are guaranteed starters in the wider-attacking positions. These two attackers will look to exploit the leaky United defence with their counter-attacking prowess. They will also support the main striker Sebastien Haller.
The new signing from Eintracht Frankfurt has already netted three goals and will be keen to extend his tally against United.
