Manchester United Clash with West Ham: Bold Predictions, Key Battles and Starting XI Revealed

Manchester United are looking to secure consecutive Premier League victories when they host West Ham United at Old Trafford on Thursday evening.

The Red Devils suffered humiliation in their latest home fixture, falling to a shocking 1–0 loss against 10-man Everton. Nevertheless, they bounced back to form last weekend by claiming an important comeback triumph over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount provided the unexpected goalscoring partnership in London as United broke a three-match winless run, though Ruben Amorim's squad remains unpredictable in their pursuit of Champions League qualification.

West Ham had been experiencing a strong run of form that featured consecutive victories against Newcastle United and Burnley, but Nuno Espírito Santo's team reverted to familiar struggles in their 2–0 weekend loss to struggling Liverpool. The Hammers provided no threat in attack as they suffered another uninspiring defeat.

They can find comfort in their impressive recent history against the Red Devils, though, having claimed four victories from their last five encounters. The Hammers have secured wins twice at Old Trafford in the past four years, including a 2–0 success as recently as May.

Here is Sports Illustrated's preview of the encounter in Manchester.

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Man Utd vs. West Ham Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

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Man Utd Team News

Matheus Cunha has been missing since the November international break, but the Brazilian striker has now resumed training ahead of West Ham's arrival. He should feature in some role, though he's not certain to be in the starting eleven.

United will remain without summer acquisition Benjamin Šeško as he recovers from a knee problem picked up at Tottenham Hotspur, while defender Harry Maguire, who suffered injury in the same match, will also remain out with a hamstring concern.

Lisandro Martínez made his eagerly awaited comeback as a late replacement against Palace, marking his first appearance for the Red Devils since February. Amorim must be cautious with his reintroduction following such an extended absence.

Zirkzee and Mount have enhanced their starting prospects with well-executed strikes against the Eagles. However, Amorim mentioned two undisclosed fitness concerns at his pre-match media briefing.

Man Utd Predicted Lineup vs. West Ham

Man Utd predicted lineup vs. West Ham (3-4-2-1): Lammens; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Shaw; Amad, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot; Mbeumo, Mount; Zirkzee.

West Ham Team News

Lucas Paquetá will be a significant absence for West Ham at Old Trafford. He's banned following his unusual red card against Liverpool, collecting two yellow cards for dissent in the same incident.

He will be joined by three injured colleagues on the sidelines as Łukasz Fabiański, Oliver Scarles and Crysencio Summerville all miss the journey to Old Trafford. The latter is nearing a return after a short absence but the Manchester United fixture is anticipated to arrive too early for him.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka will feature at right-back against his previous club, while Tomáš Souček will probably replace the suspended Paquetá.

West Ham Predicted Lineup vs. Man Utd

West Ham predicted lineup vs. Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Todibo, Diouf; Magassa, Potts; Bowen, Souček, Fernandes; Wilson.

Man Utd vs. West Ham Score Prediction

Nuno could take inspiration from former West Ham and United manager David Moyes regarding how to overcome this version of the Red Devils. The Everton manager devised a defensive strategy that completely stifled Amorim's team less than two weeks ago.

Nevertheless, West Ham may lack the caliber to secure a crucial goal at the opposite end, particularly if they deliver a similarly lackluster performance as their weekend display against Liverpool.

The Irons are also having difficulty keeping clean sheets and the home side will believe they can find a breakthrough, even against a compact defense. Some individual brilliance from players like Bruno Fernandes or Bryan Mbeumo is always within reach.

It's doubtful to be an entertaining spectacle at Old Trafford, but United won't mind if they secure another vital win.

Prediction: Man Utd 1–0 West Ham