West Ham United and Manchester United go head-to-head at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon with both sides looking to get their season’s back on track.
By Matt Smith
t’s been a tricky opening few months for Julen Lopetegui and Erik ten Hag, who are both competing in the bottom half of the table.
The Hammers will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing defeat away to London rivals Tottenham. West Ham lost the game 4-1, with Mohammed Kudus sent off. The Ghanaian attacker will now be suspended as they host the Red Devils this weekend.
West Ham currently sit in 15th place in the Premier League, just five points above the relegation zone. Lopetegui’s side are conceding 1.9 goals per game on average while creating just 11.7 expected goals (xG).
The summer transfer window looked a pretty one on paper for the Hammers, but their additions have yielded mixed results. Technical Director Tim Steidten and his team have revamped the midfield, but Tomáš Souček has dealt with the competition superbly.
Averaging more goals per 90 minutes than any other West Ham player, the towering midfielder has been keeping the likes of Carlos Soler and Edson Álvarez out of the starting XI.
Manchester United recently secured an impressive victory over Brentford last time out in the Premier League, but it’s been an inconsistent season so far.
The Red Devils have scored just seven goals, with only Ipswich, Southampton, and Crystal Palace managing fewer. Creating chances hasn’t been the issue as United have produced 12.4 expected goals, but they’re struggling to put the ball in the back of the net.
André Onana has been a strong candidate for United’s player of the season, which says a lot about their struggles on the pitch. The Cameroonian has prevented 3.33 goals so far, with only Leicester City’s Mads Hermansen managing more.
Joshua Zirkzee, Alejandro Garnacho, and Bruno Fernandes have had 7.9 expected goals between them, but the United trio have only found the back of the net three times. Their troubles in front of goal have cost them plenty of points so far and Ten Hag needs to find a way of making it click in the final third.
With West Ham having plenty of problems defensively, it could be an ideal opportunity for the Manchester outfit to find their feet in front of goal and gather some momentum ahead of the tricky winter period.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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