West Ham v United: Your essential guide

The Reds beat FC Astana and Leicester City at home in our last two outings, but we have found recent visits to the Hammers to be tough affairs, winning just one of our last five away games against them.

However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men can draw confidence from our last meeting with West Ham - a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford in April - and another win on Sunday would see us climb back into the top four, after being ousted on Friday night by Bournemouth's surprise rise to third place in the Premier League table.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of another mouthwatering fixture…

HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE GAME?

MUTV subscribers will be able to watch live dedicated build-up to the game in the Match Day show, followed by live radio commentary. You can also follow our coverage on ManUtd.com and the Official App, where you can track live data and player statistics in the Match Centre.

WHICH TV CHANNEL IS IT ON IN THE UK?

The game will be broadcast live on television in the UK via Sky Sports. As always, the match will be shown in full on MUTV from the following day.

WHAT’S THE LATEST TEAM NEWS?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed we will be without Luke Shaw for Sunday’s trip to the capital, while Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial are also doubts. Asked whether he thought the French duo would be available to feature against the Hammers, Ole conceded he still was unsure. “Not really, no,” the boss admitted during Thursday’s press conference. "They've not been training yet so I don't think so. Luke won't be ready,” he added. Another player who could miss the game through injury is winger Daniel James. "I don't know [if he will play against West Ham],” said Ole. “He's not trained the last few days. Hopefully, but not sure. We'll have a recovery day with everyone tomorrow [Friday] and we'll see on Saturday.” 

The boss made nine changes for the midweek clash with Astana, but he is expected to revert back to a similar side on Sunday to the one that played against Leicester in our last Premier League game. That means David De Gea and Victor Lindleof - who both signed new contract extensions during the week - are likely to return, as are Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Ashley Young, Scott McTominay and Andreas Pereira, all of whom did not start in Thursday’s Europa League clash.

As for the Hammers, they will be without Arthur Masuaku for this weekend’s game after he picked up a red card in their last outing against Aston Villa. After his dismissal, former Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta filled in at left-back at Villa Park, but the Irons may opt to start with Aaron Cresswell on Sunday. West Ham could also be without influential midfielder Manuel Lanzini, who picked up a knock in midweek. "Manuel Lanzini has a small problem that we will review before the game, so we must wait for tomorrow [Saturday]," said manager Manuel Pellegrini. Apart from that, the West Ham boss only has two other injury concerns: Winston Reid and Michail Antonio, both of whom are long-term absentees.

FORM GUIDE

Ole’s men head into this one on the back of two victories. The most recent came on Thursday, when Mason Greenwood’s first senior goal for the Reds ensured we overcame Astana 1-0 at Old Trafford. Prior to that, United made a successful return from the international break in our last Premier League outing, beating Leicester City 1-0 thanks to Marcus Rashford’s first-half penalty. So far in the league, the Reds have drawn both matches on the road - against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton respectively - and Ole will be hoping to chalk up a first away win this season when we travel to East London.

Sunday’s opponents have started the campaign brightly and could have moved up to third place had they beaten Aston Villa on Monday. The Hammers are unbeaten in their last five in all competitions, winning three and drawing two of those encounters.

WHAT’S OUR RECORD LIKE AGAINST WEST HAM?

Of the 141 previous competitive meetings, we have won 66, drawn 31 and lost 44. There have been 46 encounters between the clubs in the Premier League era, with the Reds winning 28 times to West Ham's six, while there have been 12 draws. Last season, United suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat to the Hammers at the London Stadium. Our last win away to the Hammers came in 2017, when Juan Mata and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were on target for the Reds, earning us a maiden victory at the east Londoners' new home at the first attempt.

THEIR STAR MAN

Goalkeepers rarely are the standout figure, but West Ham’s Lukasz Fabianski has carried his impressive form from 2018/19 into this year. The Polish international made more saves than any other goalkeeper in the English top flight last season and he hasn’t conceded a goal in his last 253 minutes of Premier League football. Fabianski also pulled off a wonder save in our most recent trip to the London Stadium, when his acrobatic stop denied Marouane Fellaini scoring with a header in the second half.

WHO'S THE REFEREE?

Anthony Taylor has been selected to oversee Sunday’s game. The 40-year-old, who took charge of the midweek Champions League clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, will referee his second United match of the season - the first being our opening-day 4-0 victory over Chelsea. He will be assisted at the London Stadium by Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn, while Lee Mason will be the fourth official. Graham Scott and Marc Perry are on VAR duty at Stockley Park.

RIVALS WATCH

There is a full complement of Premier League fixtures this weekend, with all of our top-six rivals in action. Tottenham Hotspur face a tricky trip to Leicester in the Saturday lunch-time game, before Manchester City host Watford later in the afternoon. United aren’t the only visitors to the capital on Sunday, with Aston Villa making the journey south to face Arsenal, while, at the same time, Chelsea and Liverpool meet at Stamford Bridge. Here is the full list:
 
FRIDAY 20 SEPTEMBER

Southampton 1 Bournemouth 3

SATURDAY 21 SEPTEMBER

Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur (12:30 BST)
Burnley v Norwich City
Everton v Sheffield United
Manchester City v Watford
Newcastle United v Brighton & Hove Albion (17:30 BST)

SUNDAY 22 SEPTEMBER

Crystal Palace v Wolverhampton Wanderers (14:00)
West Ham United v Manchester United (14:00)
Arsenal v Aston Villa (16:30)
Chelsea v Liverpool (16:30)

*Games kick off at 15:00 BST unless stated.

Reading this in our app? If not, you might miss some exclusive features not found on ManUtd.com. Download the Official App here.