Game Week 9 Predictions: Manchester United to find joy at West Ham Stadium

West Ham faces Manchester United at London Stadium in a crucial clash. Both teams need a win to move up the table, with United eyeing redemption.

Manchester United and West Ham are both livng on the edge and either side could make do with a win of any kind. (Photo credit: 90 Mins)

 West Ham vs. Manchester United

London Stadium

3:00pm

Manchester United fans must be tired of saying the same thing over and over again, as it seems they’re stuck with Erik Ten Hag at least until the end of the season as things stand.

You observe Barcelona's performance under Hansi Flick, and then recall that he was available. Despite his lack of understanding of the game, Manchester United chose to continue with the Dutchman.

Still with Manchester United and Ten Hag, the Dutchman opted to play Nasir Mazraoui in the number 10 role against Fenerbahce in their Europa League game in the absence of Bruno Fernandes, and it didn’t take long for people to know it was a joke of a decision.

West Ham is not in a good place either, and the fact that they will host Manchester United without Mohammed Kudus is enough to cause their fans concern. Their 4-1 loss at Tottenham last time out explains why Julien Lopetegui is in serious trouble.

The Hammers took a deserved lead, but everything unraveled in the second half, as they shipped four goals and also saw Kudus walk off to an early bath after bad conduct. If there are plans to sack any manager in the Premier League soon, the Hammers manager must be in line alongside Russell Martin.

The two sides have only won once each in their respective last five fixtures. The two sides have real reasons to be worried as they both sit outside the top half, but a win could see either side improve significantly on the log; none will be happy with a draw.

What do we expect from the lineups? We expect Guido Rodriguez and Edson Alvarez to sit deep, Tomas Soucek to play in the hole, and Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen to flank Michail Antonio in the absence of Mohammed Kudus.

Niclas Fullkrug is back in training, but don't expect him to start. Although Jean Clair Todibo and Max Kilman, the center-back pairing, aren't performing well, you expect Julien Lopetegui to stick with them regardless of how many goals they have scored.

Harry Maguire and Kobbie Maino are both expected to miss the trip to West Ham. Antony was taken off injured in midweek; he isn’t expected to feature, but Leny Yoro is back in training and could help the United defense in the coming weeks.

We expect Marcus Rashford to start; he owes it to himself to start firing on all cylinders. Joshua Zirkzee looks lost, while Rasmus Hojlund would lead the line alongside Alejandro Garnacho. This is a fixture you expect United to excel in; they have no excuses.

Verdict: United is to win.