Manchester United don’t have much time to rue opportunity missed in last night’s UEFA Champions League loss to FC Barcelona, as it’s a very quick turnaround to the next competition. United lost 1-0 to the Catalan club yesterday due to a Luke Shaw own goal, but they must move on quickly as West Ham United come to town for a Premier League fixture on Saturday.
United are in sixth place in the table and badly in need of all three points here as they really can’t afford to lose any more ground in the top four race. West Ham come in to this one 11th in the table and as substantial underdogs. Let’s break down the fitness situation for both sides.
Starting with the hosts, two of their top three midfielders, Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic, missed out on the Barca clash and face a race against the clock to be fit for this one. The former of the midfield duo is widely reported to be inching closer towards a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Elsewhere, forward Alexis Sanchez has been missing for several weeks, but has convalesced to the point that he could be contention for this one. In the back line, defenders Matteo Darmian, Antonio Valencia and Eric Bailly are also expected to be absent. With both Shaw and Ashley Young suspended, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a selection crisis in the back.
Flipping over to the visitors, Jack Wilshere played for the U23s this week, the first time he’s been in first action since December. The long time Arsenal man is nearing closer to a senior team return.
“Wilshere is almost ready,” said Hammers manager Manuel Pellegrini. “He played for the under-23s and will play another one, then after that he will work with us.”
The Hammers absentee list for this match is very long, and it includes Michail Antonio, Samir Nasri, Andy Carroll, Andriy Yarmolenko, Winston Reid and Carlos Sanchez.
Manchester United vs West Ham United FYIs
Kickoff- Saturday Apr 13, Old Trafford 5:30 pm
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction- go to this link
Form Guide: Manchester United- LWLWW West Ham United- LLWLW
Google Result Probability- Manchester United win 69%, Draw 19%, West Ham United win 12%
Odds via Betfair- Manchester United win 2/5, Draw 4/1, West Ham United 7/1
Prediction: Manchester United 2, West Ham United 1
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.