Manchester United and West Ham United draw the curtain on round 14 of the 2025-26 Premier League season with a meeting at Old Trafford on Thursday evening.
Securing back-to-back victories will be the objective for the hosts after returning to winning ways last time out, while the visitors head to Manchester aiming to bounce back from a first defeat in four matches.
After failing to make the most of their numerical advantage in last Monday’s 1-0 defeat to Everton, United headed to Selhurst Park to face off against Crystal Palace in need of a lift.
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s first-half penalty left Ruben Amorim’s men with plenty to ponder at half-time before Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount netted nine minutes apart to spark a turnaround.
United’s triumph in South London moved them within three points of a place in the top four, but the Red Devils will need to address their defensive frailties to aid their quest for Champions League football.
They have gone six matches without a clean sheet, while their tally of 20 goals conceded is the joint-most of any team in the top half alongside Liverpool.
Having lost both of last season’s league meetings against West Ham United and four of the most recent five, Thursday’s hosts will now aim to take the first step towards reasserting their dominance in this fixture.
West Ham’s appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo failed to produce an immediate upturn in form, with the Portuguese manager’s first four matches in charge yielding just one point, before consecutive wins over Newcastle United and Burnley changed the mood.
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A 2-0 first-half lead at Bournemouth had the Hammers on course for three straight wins for the first time since August, although West Ham could only manage to come away with a point.
Nonetheless, there was cause for optimism heading into Sunday’s clash against an out-of-sorts Liverpool side.
However, West Ham were beaten 2-0 by the reigning champions for their first defeat in five weeks, leaving them outside the bottom three only on goal difference.
Thursday’s clash is the second of six straight West Ham games against teams who finished in the top nine last season, and the visitors will need to up the ante to avoid being plunged further into relegation danger.