United look to lay the Hammer down on old boss

Manchester United look to win their fourth consecutive Premier League fixture Saturday against West Ham.

Vast Improvements

 Both sides are in fine form after poor starts to their respective EPL campaigns.

United lost two of its first three fixtures, conceding 11 goals in those matches.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have recently reeled off three straight wins in league play after a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal to kick off the month of November.

David Moyes’s side also started the season poorly losing its first two matches.

Like United though they’re also riding a three-game winning streak in the league which has moved them up to fifth place in the standings.

Team News

 There are some areas of concern for the Reds heading into this weekend.

Marcus Rashford been troubled by a shoulder problem and might not be ready come Saturday.

David de Gea showed some discomfort in the mid-week Champions League loss and it’s unknown his status for this game.

Luke Shaw is back to training but is likely still at least a week away from healing his hamstring injury.

Edinson Cavani is awaiting the result of an FA investigation into a controversial post he made on Instagram following last weekend’s victory.

Depending on the FA’s ruling the Uruguayan could miss upwards of six games through suspension.

Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba, Scott McTominay, Anthony Martial, and Eric Bailly all passed fitness tests in mid-week and should be available.

For the Hammers, the team’s second-leading goalscorer Michail Antonio was in the lineup last week against Aston Villa but looked far from comfortable.

It was revealed this week he’s got a hamstring problem and won’t play.

That means Sebastien Haller starts in his place.

Besides that, the Hammers have a clean bill of health.

Home and Away

 One of the many intriguing things to keep an eye on this weekend is how well each team plays at home and away.

The Hammers are unbeaten in their last four Premier League matches at London Stadium.

With the return of fans (2000 maximum) to London, it’s sure to give West Ham an extra boost heading into Saturday’s match.

United meanwhile seem to relish being the visitors winning their last eight Premier League road games.

Last weekend they became the first side in Premier League history to win four straight road games from behind beating Southampton 3-2.

 Consistency

 After a devastating loss on Wednesday to PSG in the Champions League the question is how will Solskjaer’s side respond?

If history is any indication not well.

After winning 14 of his first 17 games in charge, Solskjaer’s team went on to lose eight of its next 12 matches.

A 19-game unbeaten run to end last season was impressive but the start of this season was anything but.

United got only seven points from its first six EPL fixtures.

Keeping it Clean

United’s offence will be going up against a wall Saturday named Lukasz Fabianski.

West Ham’s keeper has four clean sheets in 10 appearances, making 30 saves.

He’s only conceded once in his past three matches.

Evenly Matched

 Statistically speaking these two teams are very even in a variety of categories.

The Hammers have scored 17 times this season, while United’s got 16.

The Reds have 16 points so far, the Hammers are on 17.

United does have one game in hand.

Familiar Face

 David Moyes’s time as Man United boss was somewhat forgettable.

After signing a six-year contract to follow in the footsteps of Sir Alex Ferguson things did not go well for the Scotsman at Old Trafford.

In his time in charge at United Moyes’ team earned a mere five points out of a possible 24 against top teams like Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Man City.

They were also knocked out early from the FA Cup by Swansea in the third round.

The club also failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1995.

After 10 months he was sacked.

In his second stint now with the Hammers, life’s been a lot smoother for Moyes.

The club’s got points in six of its last seven matches.

The results have shown his team can compete with some of this season’s best.

They’ve beaten Leicester City, Wolves, and Aston Villa and drew with league leaders Tottenham.

Head to Head

 In recent memory, West Ham’s had the upper hand against United.

The Hammers have two wins and a draw in their last four matchups versus the Red Devils.

Overall United has won 66 games against the Hammers and lost 45.

Match Info

 Saturday’s match begins at 5:30 pm at London Stadium. (JSL)