If West Ham United win at Old Trafford on Saturday, they will join a very exclusive club. The Irons have already beaten Man Utd at the Theatre of Dreams in the League Cup this season. Only three teams have ever won twice away at Old Trafford in the same season: (Aston Villa 1919/20, Spurs 89/90 & Chelsea 04/05).
That Villa side was quite the anomaly, as they finished in the very last safety spot in the league table that season. The Spurs side was pretty stellar, as they finished third in the First Division and reached the quarters of the League Cup.
Man United vs West Ham FYIs:
Kick-off time: 3 PM GMT, 22nd January 2022
Starting XI Prediction: Man United West Ham
Team News: Man United West Ham
Premier League Podcast: go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): Man United (WLWDW) West Ham (WWWWL)
As for that Chelsea team, it was the first league title for the club in half a century, and the first of the Roman Abramovich era.
Will lightning strike again in the same place? Not if interim manager Ralf Rangnick finds/can find the winning hand in his starting XI. Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t like getting subbed off last night (then again who really would?) and Rangnick made a major formational switch.
“I decided to switch to a back five and bring on Marcus on the right and I think it was the right decision,” the German said in postgame.
“He’s a goal scorer he wanted to stay on and score but for us it was more important for us to be compact.
“When we scored the third I said that to him and I said maybe when you’re a head coach yourself you will hopefully make the same decision.”
That decision led to Marcus Rashford finally breaking out of his well publicized and very elongated goal scoring drought. Could he be an impact sub here?
Youngster Anthony Elanga opened his account against Brentford and we believed that’s earned him another start here.
Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood are sure to retain their spots in the attack, with Wednesday night’s malcontent, Cristiano Ronaldo, leading the line here.
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction vs West Ham United
De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Telles; Fred, McTominay; Greenwood, Fernandes, Elanga; Ronaldo
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.