West Ham United v Manchester United
Premier League, London Stadium, Sunday 27 October 2024, 2pm GMT
West Ham United return to action at home to Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, looking to bounce back to winning ways following defeat to near-neighbours Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League last time out.
Prior to that, the Irons had defeated Ipswich Town 4-1 at London Stadium to earn their first home league win of 2024/25, and Head Coach Julen Lopetegui will be hoping for a similar result against Erik ten Hag's visitors this weekend.
The Hammers have enjoyed a string of good results against the Red Devils recently, having won the previous two home meetings between the teams, but will be wary of the stern test promised by an expensively-assembled Manchester United squad.
Our opponents have won just three of their opening eight Premier League matches and are 12th in the table, six points outside of the top-four. However, Erik ten Hag’s side will make the trip to the capital with renewed confidence after their come-from-behind victory against Brentford last weekend.
That said, they will have played in Turkey on Thursday evening, when they faced José Mourinho's Fenerbahçe SK in the UEFA Europa League.
Tickets…
Tickets for this sold-out game are still available on the Ticket Exchange, with Season Ticket Holders who cannot attend this fixture relisting their seats for other supporters to buy. Click HERE to check availability or relist now.
Travel…
There is no planned disruption to TfL Underground services on the Central, Jubilee or Elizabeth lines and Docklands Light Railway, although there are set to be issues on London Overground services. Supporters using the Overground are highly recommended to check their routes before departure.
There are no planned issues on the c2c mainline, but there are set to be disruptions to Greater Anglia services, as well as the Southeastern network.
Stratford and Stratford City Bus Stations are located in close proximity to Stratford station. Buses that run to these stations are numbers: 25, 86, 97, 104, 108, 158, 241, 257, 262, 276, 308, 425, 473, D8.
Supporters using public transport are advised to check their journeys before they travel, using resources such as TfL’s Journey Planner and the TfL Go app. Supporters may also wish to visit the National Rail website if travelling on the rail network.
There is no parking available at London Stadium. Restrictions will be in place and enforced in the local area.
How To Follow…
Sunday’s 2pm kick-off will NOT be broadcast live in the UK, but will be shown across the world by the Premier League’s international broadcast partners.
If you live outside the UK, click HERE for details of Premier League listings in your territory.
You can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app, and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle on our website and social media.
Live audio commentary will be available in the UK on BBC Radio London, and worldwide on our official website and app.
Black History Month...
Saturday’s tussle with Manchester United has been assigned as West Ham United's Black History Month annual awareness fixture.
West Ham United have marked Black History Month by celebrating talented and young Black creatives in our local community and reclaiming the narratives by shining a light on the untold stories.
In October 2024, West Ham launched a new fan-featured content series, Rooted In, which in our inaugural edition celebrating Black History Month, highlights a collective of West Ham supporting young Black creatives — featuring award-winning music producers, media leaders, podcast hosts, and photographers.
In our first edition, Johnny Kay, Philippa Ako, Mohamed Abdulle, and Guvna B are among a host of stars in our local community who sit down with West Ham to discuss topics such as identity and culture, helping inspire the next generation with their passion and authenticity.
You can read more about Rooted In HERE, or on pages 26, 27, and 28 of Sunday’s Official Programme!
No Room For Racism...
All Premier League fixtures between 19 and 27 October will be dedicated to the No Room For Racism initiative, highlighting the ongoing work the League carries out to tackle discrimination and promote diversity within football.
Over these match rounds, the League and clubs are coming together to celebrate how diversity makes football stronger and reiterating their collective commitment to ensuring everyone feels welcome across all areas of the game.
The two sets of players and officials will take the knee before kick-off today to highlight unity against all forms of racism, while a specially branded handshake boards, ball plinth and substitution board will be used.
Official Programme…
At 116 pages, the publication remains the largest in English football, while this year each Premier League issue also comes with a bespoke cover illustration and an eight-page pullout, complete with an eye-catching poster, a brainteasing quiz and plenty of games for our younger Hammers.
Still priced at just £4, the Official Programme represents superb value for money for supporters of all ages wanting exclusive interviews, attention-grabbing opinions and eye-catching photographs, plus the regular news, columns and statistics and insightful content from across all areas of the Club.
The Official Programme is the definitive Claret and Blue publication for West Ham fans.
Our seventh issue of the season is led by an extensive interview with our record Premier League goalscorer Michail Antonio, who discusses his journey from non-league to European glory, and the positive influence his family had on his life and career.
As we mark Black History Month and the Premier League's No Room for Racism campaign, Antonio features on Jamie B Edwards' eye-catching programme cover, which shows a view of London Stadium and the No9 celebrating a goal on the external screen.
We also have words from Club captain Jarrod Bowen, Head Coach Julen Lopetegui and Steve Blowers’ chat with former winger Pat Holland as we continue celebrating the 50th anniversary of our 1975 FA Cup win, while we've got exciting features with Edson Álvarez and Łukasz Fabiański, exclusive columns galore, stats and in-depth analysis from Analytics United, too!
With the latest news from our Academy, women’s team and Foundation, plus puzzles, statistics and the lowdown on our opponents from Old Trafford, the Official Programme is packed full of content for you!
Team News…
Mohammed Kudus will be missing in east London through suspension, having been sent-off in the Hammers’ Premier League defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Forward Niclas Füllkrug has missed the Hammers’ last six games in all competitions since he suffered an injury in his calf and Achilles area while on international duty in September, and will once again be assessed ahead of kick-off.
Manchester United could be missing a number of players for the trip to London Stadium. Tyrell Malacia, Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro and Mason Mount are long-term absentees, while there are doubts surrounding the fitness of Jonny Evans, Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo. Matthijs de Ligt and Casemiro, meanwhile, are both fit and ready to feature at time of writing.
Opposition…
Every week, whether good or bad, you can guarantee Manchester United will make headlines.
Manager Erik ten Hag, who took over at Old Trafford in summer 2022, has learned what the expectation, pressure and spotlight at the Red Devils all amount to but has been given another opportunity to show he is the right man to lead United back to the top.
The club went through a rollercoaster of a season in 2023/24, which marked the sixth time the club has finished outside the top four in the eleven seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. An eighth-place finish, the club’s lowest of the Premier League era, saw the Red Devils miss out on Europe's top competition, but a below-par campaign was spared by a triumphant FA Cup final performance against Premier League champions Manchester City.
Preparations for the campaign have seen ten Hag heavily lean into his Ajax old boys’ network, having secured a double deal for Bayern Munich pair de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, while additions like Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro and the permanent signing Manuel Ugarte from PSG on deadline day added even more talent to the side.
The 2024/25 campaign is Manchester United's 32nd Premier League season, but United got off to their worst start in Premier League history this term. Until last Saturday’s 2-1 home victory over Brentford, the Red Devils were 14th in the league and had gone five games without a win across all competitions. Two 3-0 defeats by Liverpool and Tottenham, as well as failing to win either of their opening two UEFA Europa League assignments this term, has left a lot to be desired in the North West.
Previous Meetings…
West Ham United and Manchester United have been regular adversaries in recent seasons, facing each other 15 times over the previous six seasons in all competitions.
History is indeed on Manchester United’s side, with the Red Devils winning the majority of fixtures.
However, recent history does slightly favour the Hammers. The teams split the victories last term, while the Irons have won the last two meetings at London Stadium to nil.
The overall record in all competitions is in the visitors' favour with 74 wins to the Hammers 48, with 32 draws.
The Irons’ most emphatic Premier League result against Manchester United was the 3-1 victory we scored over them at London Stadium in September 2018.
Prior to that, the Hammers registered a 5-1 old First Division win, with Viv Gibbins scoring a hat-trick at the Boleyn Ground in October 1930.
Match Officials…
Referee: David Coote
Assistant Referees: Dan Robathan & Craig Taylor
Fourth Official: Tom Bramall
VAR: Michael Oliver
Assistant VAR: Stuart Burt
David Coote has been confirmed as the referee for Sunday's Premier League match.
Affiliated to the Nottinghamshire FA, Coote began refereeing at the age of 16 and worked his way up through the Notts Alliance League, Northern Counties East Football League, the Northern Premier League and the Conference North.
He was promoted to the Football League List of assistant referees in 2006, and again to the referees’ list in 2010. Coote refereed the 2014 League One Play-Off final at Wembley, which saw Rotherham United defeat Leyton Orient. The Nottinghamshire official also oversaw the 2023 Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium between Manchester United and Newcastle United, with Erik ten Hag’s side defeating the Magpies 2-0 in the showpiece.
The official, whose father played cricket for Nottinghamshire, was appointed to the Select Group of Premier League officials in the summer of 2018.
He will take charge of a Hammers match for the first time this season on Sunday, and last refereed a West Ham fixture when we were defeated 4-1 away at Aston Villa in October 2023.
In the 16 Premier League fixtures Coote officiated last season, he brandished a total of 84 yellow cards and three reds, sending off two players during Brentford's 2-1 home defeat against Aston Villa in December.
