West Ham United continue their quest for a fourth Emirates FA Cup triumph with a fifth-round tie at Manchester United on Tuesday evening.
The Hammers travel to Old Trafford seeking a place in the last eight, having won 1-0 at National League Stockport County and 4-0 at home to EFL League One Doncaster Rovers in the previous two rounds.
Those two victories have come amid a run of one defeat in the last eleven matches for David Moyes' side, who have won seven and drawn three and also currently sit sixth in the Premier League.
The Red Devils, meanwhile, are at home for the third round in succession, having defeated Championship Watford 1-0 and Premier League rivals Liverpool 3-2 to reach this stage.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær's men are also in good form, having lost just one of their last nine in all competitions, winning five and drawing three. They sit second in the Premier League table.
With England now back under a national lockdown due to the ongoing pandemic, this means the game will be played without supporters present. However, the match will be shown live in the UK by BBC One and the BBC iPlayer, meaning our fans will be able to follow the action, safely, from home.
Yes to VAR, no to a replay!
As Tuesday's tie is being played at a Premier League Stadium, both VAR or HawkEye Goal line technology will be in use.
There is no replay, so if the scores are level after 90 minutes there will be a period of 30 minutes extra-time and if the scores still remain level after extra-time then the tie will be decided on penalties.
Each manager is permitted to name nine substitutes, of which five can be used, either in normal time, or if extra-time is required. However, managers only have three occasions during the game (in addition to half-time) in which to make the substitutions.
If the game goes into extra-time then an additional fourth occasion to make a substitution during a break in play is permitted, in addition to the stoppages between the end of normal time and the start of extra-time and during half-time of extra-time.
Team news
West Ham United manager David Moyes will be hoping Michail Antonio is available after the centre-forward was substituted due to fatigue in Saturday's goalless Premier League draw at Fulham.
Goalkeeper Darren Randolph has been out for the last five matches with a knock picked up in training, while left wing-back Arthur Masuaku is on the road to recovery following knee surgery.
Jesse Lingard is cup-tied, having played for Manchester United in their third-round win over Watford in January. However, Tomáš Souček will be available after his appeal against the red card he was shown at Fulham on Saturday was successful.
Manchester United look likely to be without France midfielder Paul Pogba, who suffered a muscle injury in the 3-3 Premier League draw with Everton on Saturday.
Defender Phil Jones is out with a knee injury, while centre-back Eric Bailly could return from a knock.
The opposition – Manchester United
After a relatively slow start to 2020/21, during which Manchester United were beaten 6-1 at home by Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and eliminated from the UEFA Champions League at the group stage, Ole Gunnar Solskjær's squad appeared to be hitting something approaching top form.
The Red Devils thumped Leeds United 6-2 before Christmas, before earning back-to-back wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa over the New Year. Southampton were then dismissed 9-0 at Old Trafford at the start of February.
However, an EFL Cup semi-final loss to Manchester City and home Premier League defeat by Sheffield United in January, and the concession of a 2-0 lead and last-minute equaliser to Everton on Saturday show some of the old frailties remain.
On their day, the 12-times FA Cup winners can beat anyone, but those inconsistencies mean they are also capable of losing or drawing when you least expect it.
How will they play?
Nobody, not even Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, has scored as many Premier League goals this season as Manchester United's 49.
When you add the 27 they have scored in the three cup competitions they have been involved in this season, the Red Devils have netted more goals than any other top-flight team this term, with 76 - three more than Manchester City and eight more than Liverpool.
So, you can see Manchester United are an attack-minded team.
The creativity comes from a number of areas, but most often from Portugal attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes, whose passing from the No10 position have led to 12 assists, and shooting from open play, free-kicks and penalties have earned him 18 goals.
To his left, Marcus Rashford's pace, direct running and accurate finishing are a constant threat, while full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw get forward as often as they can.
Further back, Scott McTominay is becoming more of an all-round central midfielder with every game he plays.
Previous meetings
West Ham United and Manchester United meet in the FA Cup for the tenth time, excluding replays.
West Ham have gone through on four occasions to Manchester United's five.
The Hammers' first-ever fixture with the Red Devils was in this competition and ended in a shock victory, as the then-Southern League side beat First Division Manchester United 2-1 at the Boleyn Ground in February 1911 courtesy of goals from Danny Shea and Thomas Caldwell.
The second and most-famous meeting was in March 1964, when Ronnie Boyce's two goals and one from Geoff Hurst secured a 3-2 semi-final victory at a muddy Hillsborough.
Manchester United prevailed in the third round in January 1983 and sixth round in March 1985 - both times en route to the final - before West Ham won a fifth-round replay at Old Trafford in March 1986.
Paolo Di Canio's memorable goal secured a 1-0 fourth-round win at Old Trafford in January 2001, but Manchester United got their own back with a 6-0 home win at the same stage in January 2003.
And Manchester United also secured replay victories at the Boleyn Ground in the third round in January 2013 and sixth round in April 2016 - the final-ever FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground.
By the numbers
10 Sir Geoff Hurst scored ten of his 249 career goals for West Ham United against Manchester United – more than any other Hammer. Among those ten, Sir Geoff netted in the FA Cup semi-final win over the Red Devils at Hillsborough in March 1964, and twice in a 3-2 First Division win over United at the Boleyn Ground on 30 April 1966 – his final home appearance before winning the FIFA World Cup with England!
5-1 West Ham United scored their biggest-ever Football League or Premier League win over Manchester United on 11 October 1930, when Vivian Gibbins netted a hat-trick in a 5-1 First Division victory at the Boleyn Ground. Jim Barrett and Jimmy Ruffell were also on target.
18 In all, 18 players have debuted for the Hammers against the Red Devils, including Boy of ’86 Neil Orr (January 1982), goalkeeper and Hammer of the Year Lawrie Leslie (August 1961), 1964 FA Cup winner Eddie Bovington (April 1960) and, of course, the late, great Bobby Moore OBE in September 1958.
28 The following 28 players have been on the books of both West Ham United and Manchester United:
David Bellion, Michael Carrick, Roy Carroll, Noel Cantwell, Luke Chadwick, James Dyer, Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, William Grassam, Javier Hernandez, Paul Ince, Eddie Lewis, Jesse Lingard, Ted MacDougall, Charles Mackie, William McCartney, Ralph Milne, Frederick Milnes, Ravel Morrison, Frank O'Farrell, Stuart Pearson, Dave Sexton, Teddy Sheringham, Jonathan Spector, Carlos Tevez, Les Sealey, Henry, Wilkinson and Harry Williams.
Match officials
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistant Referees: Constantine Hatzidakis and Ian Hussin
Fourth Official: Lee Mason
VAR: Craig Pawson
Assistant VAR: Richard West
Paul Tierney takes charge of a West Ham United fixture for the second time this season - the first being the 3-3 Premier League draw at Tottenham Hotspur in October.
Tierney was also the man in the middle for the 1-1 Premier League draw at Manchester United in July last year.
In all, he has officiated West Ham on nine occasions, including the FA Cup third round draw at Shrewsbury Town in January 2018.
Tierney was born in Wigan on Christmas Day 1980, making him 40-years-old, and is affiliated to the Lancashire FA.
He joined the National Group of Referees in 2009, was promoted to the Select Group of Referees in 2016, and FIFA Group of Referees in 2018.
