Manchester United v West Ham United
Premier League, Old Trafford, Saturday 22 January 2022, 3pm
West Ham United are seeking to become just the fourth visiting team in history to win twice at Manchester United in the same season when we head to Old Trafford on Saturday.
Only three clubs have previously won twice away against the Red Devils in the same season – Aston Villa (1919/20), Tottenham Hotspur (1989/90) and Chelsea (2004/05).
The Hammers face their hosts for the third time in 2021/22 this weekend, having triumphed 1-0 in a Carabao Cup third-round tie in Salford back in September - just four days after going down to a 2-1 defeat by the same opposition in the Premier League at London Stadium.
Manuel Lanzini was the hero in that Carabao Cup tie, sweeping home Ryan Fredericks' cross inside nine minutes. And the Irons could have got something from the Premier League fixture too, only for David de Gea to save Mark Noble's added-time penalty.
Since those two games, Manchester United have replaced their manager, with Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjær departing and experienced German Ralf Rangnick being appointed as interim boss at the start of December.
Of course, Saturday's game also sees former Manchester United manager David Moyes return to Old Trafford, eight-and-a-half years after he succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2013.
Moyes' West Ham head for Old Trafford fourth in the table with 37 points from 22 games, two more than seventh-place Manchester United, who have a game in hand on the Londoners.
Ticket news
The first 90% of West Ham United's allocation of 3,173 tickets sold out to Bondholders and Season Ticket Holders with 17+ Points. The remaining 10% (317 tickets) were sold by a ballot process to Season Ticket Holders who had yet to purchase for this fixture, which closed on 4 January.
However, tickets are on General Sale for the home Premier League ties with Watford on Tuesday 8 February and Newcastle United on Saturday 19 February. Secure your seats now by clicking here.
Click here to watch West Ham United in action live now!
COVID guidance
For information about the COVID guidelines in place at Old Trafford, click here.
How to follow
Saturday's 3pm kick-off will not be broadcast live in the UK. If you are based overseas, you may be able to watch the game in your territory. Click here for overseas broadcast listings.
We will also be covering the game live with a blog and audio commentary on whufc.com and our Official App and across our social media channels, with goals, highlights and exclusive reaction to follow after the final whistle.
Team news
David Moyes will be without Angelo Ogbonna (knee), while Tomáš Souček and Mark Noble missed the home defeat by Leeds United last weekend.
Saïd Benrahma is also unavailable as he has been with the Algeria squad ahead of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, albeit his country's campaign was ended at the group stage.
However, Kurt Zouma has returned to training after his hamstring tendon injury.
Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick will be without Eric Bailly, who is at AFCON with Ivory Coast, and France midfielder Paul Pogba, who has a groin injury. There are also doubts over England left-back Luke Shaw (hamstring) and Uruguay centre-forward Edinson Cavani (muscular problems).
However, the German hopes to have right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka (illness), Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay (back), England winger Jadon Sancho (personal reasons) available for selection.
The opposition – Manchester United
It has been another strange season for Manchester United.
The Red Devils finished second in the Premier League and runners-up in the UEFA Europa League last term, then signed returning hero Cristiano Ronaldo, France defender Raphaël Varane and England winger Jadon Sancho in the summer, seemingly giving Ole Gunnar Solskjær the additional tools needed to mount a serious title bid.
Instead, after winning four of their opening five matches, the 13-times Premier League champions won just one of the next eight, costing Ole Gunnar Solskjær his job as manager and ending the club's hopes of beating local rivals Manchester City to top spot this season.
The Norwegian club legend was replaced by German Ralf Rangnick (pictured), who was appointed interim manager until the end of the current campaign at the start of December. A straight-talking 63-year-old who managed the likes of Schalke 04, 1899 Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig in his homeland, Rangnick has demanded harder work and commitment from his players.
The results have improved, with five wins and one defeat in the last eight Premier League matches, while Rangnick's Red Devils also have the UEFA Champions League knockout stages and FA Cup to look forward to.
While expectations may be lower than they were under Ferguson's long and successful reign, the Old Trafford faithful will still want their expensively assembled, star-filled squad to challenge for trophies come the season's end.
Previous meetings
West Ham United and Manchester United meet in the Premier League for the 52nd time on Saturday afternoon.
The Red Devils have had the best of things down the years, winning 31 of the 51 previous meetings, while the Hammers have won seven, with 13 draws.
Of those seven wins, five have come at home and just two at Old Trafford - a 1-0 victory courtesy of Jermain Defoe's header in December 2001, and an unforgettable Great Escape-clinching win thanks to Carlos Tevez's first-half goal in May 2007.
David Moyes has faced Manchester United 33 times during his managerial career, 24 of them with Everton, two with Sunderland and seven with West Ham United, winning five, drawing seven and losing 21.
Moyes also managed Manchester United 51 times during the 2013/14 season, winning 26, including home and away Premier League victories over West Ham.
As mentioned above, the two clubs have already met twice this season, both in September 2021, with Manchester United snatching a 2-1 Premier League win at London Stadium before the Hammers struck back with a 1-0 Carabao Cup third-round success at Old Trafford four days later.
Match officials
Referee: Jon Moss
Assistant Referees: Marc Perry & Timothy Wood
Fourth Official: Michael Salisbury
VAR: Paul Tierney
Assistant VAR: Ian Hussin
Born in Sunderland in 1970, Jon Moss won a football scholarship at Central Connecticut State University in the United States but completed his studies with a degree in teaching and physical education at the University of Leeds.
Moss played Academy football for Sunderland and Millwall before opting to become a physical education teacher, teaching future Liverpool and England star James Milner at Westbrook Lane Primary School in Leeds!
Moss’s refereeing career began in the Northern Counties East League and Northern Premier League before he was promoted to the National Group of assistant referees in 2003.
He became a Football League referee in 2005 and a Premier League referee in 2011, before taking charge of the 2015 FA Cup final at Wembley.
The 51-year-old has refereed West Ham United 31 times in total since a 2-1 Championship defeat at Derby County on New Year’s Eve 2011.
He was also in charge for the Hammers' 1-0 Carabao Cup third-round win at Manchester United in September 2021.
As an aside, Moss famously runs a record shop in Leeds called... Vinyl Whistle!