Manchester United will host West Ham United in the Quarter Finals of the EFL Cup on Wednesday which will be a repeat of the Sunday fixture between the two. United failed to beat the Hammers and have now drawn 4 times in a row at home, which is a pretty damning statistic for Jose Mourinho and the team. A win is paramount for their confidence and also considering their objectives this season. Quite a long way from the top of the table, they have to look at the cup competitions as a source from where they can draw positives and momentum from.
West Ham would have been pumped with the draw at Old Trafford and their floundering season did need some pumping. Hovering dangerously above the relegation zones, Slaven Bilic was in dire need of some positivity and they would certainly have got that from the fixture. The Hammers will be knowing that United are likely to be depleted in midfield and they would want to go one better in this match.
TEAM NEWS
MANCHESTER UNITED
Wayne Rooney and Henrikh Mkhitaryan may start for United after being left on the bench on Sunday, while Anthony Martial and Luke Shaw are likely to be restored to the squad having missed out altogether.
Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini are suspended for the clash and hence Mourinho might bring Carrick into the fold after the midfielder returned to training. Bastian Schweinsteiger might be a surprise inclusion after being named on the bench in the last match.
WEST HAM UNITED
With Sakho looking like having picked up another injury, Bilic may, therefore, play Simone Zaza rather than gamble with Andy Carroll still sidelined with a knee injury, especially with Arsenal up next in the league. Gokhan Tore might recover in time after missing the last match with a thigh injury.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1)
Romero; Fosu-Mensah; Jones, Blind, Shaw; Herrera, Schweinsteiger; Depay, Rooney, Mkhitaryan; Rashford
WEST HAM UNITED (3-4-2-1)
Randolph; Kouyate, Collins, Ogbonna; Antonio, Obiang, Lanzini, Cresswell; Ayew, Payet; Zaza
KEY MEN
MANCHESTER UNITED
WAYNE ROONEY
The United captain has come in for a fair bit of criticism this season and has lost his starting place. But he has been good at times and conjured enough moments to suggest that he can still be called upon when in need. He has been good against the Hammers in the past and might again be key tomorrow.
WEST HAM UNITED
DIMITRI PAYET
The French international has been one of the few positives in this season for the Hammers and he will look to be a thorn in United’s flesh in the quarter-final. His enticing delivery got West Ham going and it is this area of expertise that will be worrying the Red Devils the most.
BETTING ODDS
MANCHESTER UNITED- 4/9
DRAW- 4/1
WEST HAM UNITED- 13/2
