The match will air shortly after the Stoke City-Manchester City match is completed. The key battle will be between the young, quick attackers likely to dominate United’s forward line and the West Ham defensive unit that, judging by previous visiting teams at Old Trafford this season, will be most of their XI.
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That’s the last time the Hammers won at Old Trafford – and Bilic admits he vividly remembers watching at home in Croatia as a Carlos Tevez goal on a dramatic final day of the season kept the club up.
Under-pressure Rooney will miss the game after suffering the injury in last week’s draw with Leicester City and joins Phil Jones, Ander Herrera and Marcos Rojo, who are all absentees. Marouane Fellaini will be back in contention after playing 90 minutes for the U-21 side. Striker Diafra Sakho has been ruled out with a thigh injury for three months.
“But narrow victories are victories, they are not conceding goals”.
The biggest team news from Manchester United’s perspective is the absence of Wayne Rooney. Midfielder Mark Noble and defender James Collins will both be available after completing suspensions. He made his competitive debut during the Europa League qualifier victory over FC Lusitanos at Upton Park and started in the first match of the season against Arsenal in the midfield.
Despite their proud Old Trafford record, a number of supporters continue to find Man Utd’s current brand of football far from satisfactory to watch, and a similarly ponderous showing here will only play into West Ham’s hands. Bastian Schweinsteiger, who has been nothing short of sensational for United this season, can not be expected to shoulder the goalscoring burden as he has done in United’s past two Premier League fixtures.
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United can go top of the league if they beat West Ham today and other teams around them falter, while defeat to Wolfsburg could well see them exit the Champions League at the group stage. The inclusion of Zarate in the starting XI appears to be Slaven Bilic’s trump card at present, as that goal was his fifth in the six games he has begun this term. and his efforts against the Baggies as well as his link up play with the in-form Manuel Lanzini means he has a good chance of retaining his place.
