Starting XI: Manchester United vs. West Ham

Everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s fixture:

(1) After dismantling Sheriff 3-0 in their previous fixture in the Europa League, Manchester United return to Premier League action and are set to face West Ham United on Sunday afternoon. In their last league game, United could only pick up a point away against Chelsea where they showed creativity in midfield and control of the game but couldn't find the clinical edge to their finishing. After a successful stride in Europe, Erik Ten Hag hopes his team continues their goalscoring form from their previous outing.

(2) Manchester United have won their last four Premier League matches against West Ham, their best winning run against the London outfit since an 8-game run between 2008 and 2012. It is also to be noted that West Ham have never won at Old Trafford since 2007.

(3) Since the 6-3 drubbing at the Etihad, United have been able to muster an unbeaten run of 7 games in all competitions and have improved extensively, especially in the midfield department. While West Ham have had their owes in all departments this season, it is only in the Europa League that they have produced some momentum. Still, United will look to combine the home atmosphere and their improved gameplay to outwit David Moyes’ side and continue their stride for the top 4 spot.

(4) Cristiano Ronaldo is back with the team and marked his return with a goal against Sheriff. Erik Ten Hag expressed his thoughts about the Portuguese stalwart's goal count and if he can achieve the same scoring feat (24) like last season:

“It’s up to him. But I think when you collect all the chances he creates - the team creates for him in the last weeks - he was there. You see, he is still capable to get into the right positions and I know he’s capable to finish them, so it’s possible.”

(5) Anthony Martial returned to individual training recently and Erik Ten Hag is hopeful of his chances at the World Cup:

“I hope [so],” said Ten Hag, during his pre-match press conference for Sunday’s Premier League game against West Ham.

“But he is making progress. He is outside and he is working there. So, he is on the pitch, and we are waiting for his step back into team training.”

However, the Frenchman is scheduled to remain sidelined for Sunday’s fixture.

(6) Erik Ten Hag on Donny Van de Beek’s potential impact:

(7) The press asked Ten Hag what changed after the Manchester City game, here is what he said:

“First, Man City is a really good team and also we came out of an international break and in that game players just forgot our rules and our principles and our rules and our beliefs. When we play against City, [if] one player makes a mistake and then it [falls] like a pack of cards and it didn’t work. We have seen on the day and then we also see it is massive, and you get good lessons for the weeks after. That’s also what I said after, but you don’t want to have the experience from such days. But sometimes -”

(8) As for West Ham, they suffered a defeat in their last away outing against Liverpool. Darwin Nunez opened the scoring for the home side and even though West Ham got a penalty during the later part of the first half, Jarrod Bowen missed his chance from the spot while Liverpool held onto their one-goal lead till the end.

(9) The Hammerer’s manager David Moyes provided his pre-match analysis:

(10) David Moyes provided an update on Jarrod Bowen:

“We need to see how Jarrod is,” explained Moyes. “We need to see if he can do many things. We need to see if he can twist and turn – all the other parts that come [with playing football].

“Every club is the same with the amount of fixtures, there are always chances there are injuries or knocks. But hopefully, we have come through last night not too bad.”

(11) FPL TIP: Despite Cristiano’s goal against Sheriff, Marcus Rashford is expected to get the nod to start so it is a good idea to field him. Bowen is an uncertainty for the game so unless you have Fabianski as your goalkeeper, we suggest going for players featuring in other matches. United will look to pick up a good goalscoring record before they face Real Sociedad in which they have to win by at least 2 goals to secure automatic qualification to the Round of 16, so we suggest playing both Rashford and Dalot for the gameweek.

Quotes obtained from the official websites of Manchester United and West Ham.