Manchester United vs. West Ham United: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info

Manchester United vs. West Ham United sees the Red Devils' season risk being effectively over in March if Louis van Gaal's men cannot find victory against Slaven Bilic's Hammers. 

This FA Cup sixth-round tie is vital to Manchester United given their 2-0 deficit in their Europa League round-of-16 tie with Liverpool and their unpromising league position. Bilic's West Ham on the other hand are enjoying unexpected league success and are in with a genuine shot at a Champions League place, sitting just two points off fourth place.

Unbeaten in six games and excellent on the road this season, West Ham will surely not be overwhelmed at the prospect of facing Van Gaal's side. Speaking to the press ahead of this one, Bilic said, per Sky Sports: 

We want the game to start, and we are doing everything to reach Wembley. We are confident of getting a result on Sunday as we are playing well and have more options now as players are back from injury.

We are going to one of the biggest stadiums and it will be very difficult. But we are very confident going into the game.

He also said expected Manchester United would be a "wounded animal" following their loss to Liverpool on Thursday.

When Van Gaal was asked whether his team could overcome their 2-0 deficit he replied, per BBC Sport, "It is not impossible. Against West Ham United, it is also possible. At Old Trafford, we normally win our games."

The much-maligned Dutchman has a point—Manchester United are averaging two points per game in the league this season at home, per Statto.com. They did, though, get knocked out of the League Cup at Old Trafford. 

With West Ham unbeaten in six and Manchester United reeling from back-to-back defeats, this could be a close affair.

Date: Sunday, March 13, 2016

Time: 4 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET

Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester, England

TV Info: BT Sport 2 (UK only)/Fox Sports 1 (U.S. only)

Live Stream: BT Sport (UK only)/Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S. only)

Form Lines

Manchester United: WWWWLL

West Ham United: WDWWWW

Team News

Manchester United's website reports: 

United are without Wayne Rooney (knee), Luke Shaw (leg) and Ashley Young(groin/pelvis), but Marouane Fellaini and Bastian Schweinsteiger both returned to action against Liverpool. Antonio Valencia, Phil Jones and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson are nearing a return while Jesse Lingard should also rejoin the squad after missing the game at Anfield through suspension.

Additionally, as reported by Samuel Luckhurst of Manchester Evening News, 17 year-old RoShaun Williams is in the first-team squad for the first time. 

Of West Ham, BBC Sport reports: 

Enner Valencia, Victor Moses and Joey O'Brien [are] available following injury lay-offs.

Winston Reid could also return, but fellow defenders James Tomkins and James Collins are injured and Sam Byram is cup-tied.

Predicted Lineups

There are ifs and maybes all over this potential XI. First, there is every chance Guillermo Varela will be preferred to Matteo Darmian. Darmian gets the nod thanks to his defensive nous in dealing with the threat of Dimitri Payet. 

In midfield, Michael Carrick could feature instead of either of the above selections. He could also play at centre-back in a back three, as he did in the second half against Liverpool, although that would seem a gamble. 

There is the potential for a surprise in the front four, also. Could Adnan Januzaj or Andreas Pereira get a run out? The assumption above is that Marcus Rashford will be rested, but he could, of course, feature.

 

According to WhoScored.com, West Ham are likely to line up as above. The site wrote, "Having recovered some important players, Bilic should revert back to a four-man defence. Emmanuel Emenike could also start up front, while Manuel Lanzini should also get some more minutes as he steps up his return."

Darren Randolph will play in goal ahead of Adrian, as Bilic has promised him the spot during FA Cup games, per PA Sport (h/t Sky Sports).

Players to Watch

Manchester United's last two performances—indeed their last three, given the home win against Watford was on the fortunate side—have been so poor, it's hard to pick an in-form player. 

The closest they have is Anthony Martial who at least looked reasonably bright against West Bromwich Albion. In a less positive sense, it will be worth keeping an eye on Daley Blind who has been way below his best for the past few games. The Netherlands international really looks like he could use a break, but given the rest of United's defensive injuries, that break does not seem forthcoming.

West Ham, on the other hand, have a very obvious player to watch. Payet is the clearest attacking threat, and was much missed when the Hammers visited Old Trafford in December. He has eight goals and seven assists in the league this season, putting him atop both the Irons' scoring and providing charts. 

He is averaging two shots and 3.9 key passes per 90 minutes of league action, and he's one of the English top flight's most creative players.

Key Battle

Although Manchester United are at home, the key battle is likely to be Payet against Darmian or Varela, particularly if the Hammers are able to hit the Red Devils on the counter-attack. United's full-backs play an important part in their possession-based attacking play, and Payet will seek to exploit any space created if they stray too far from their defensive duties.

Red letter days for Van Gaal as vultures circle for the kill

After more false starts and failed recoveries than most supporters would care to remember, a crucial week could finally have arrived for Louis van Gaal at Manchester United. Once today's West Ham in an FA Cup quarter-final has been followed by the visit of Liverpool for more Europa League business on Thursday, the manager will either have something to show for his efforts this season or he will have to stop boasting about being in three competitions and finding it difficult.

One is often tempted to wonder what Alex Ferguson privately thinks about the way his once mighty club is now struggling to meet fairly ordinary challenges. Perhaps Liverpool in Europe does not fall comfortably into that category, but United only arrived in the Europa League by virtue of failing to make the Champions League cut and then being given a fright by Midtjylland. A home FA Cup quarter-final would not normally be a cause for concern, even if United did draw Premier League opponents and West Ham are having an unusually good season. Many would suggest it was about time Manchester United got a proper game in any case. The way Van Gaal tells it makes it sound as though his team have come through hell and high water to reach the FA Cup last eight, whereas in fact they have accounted for Sheffield United, Derby County and Shrewsbury Town.

Given that Manchester United are not exactly achieving their objectives in the Premier League, where a top four finish now looks unlikely again after Manchester City's points total was matched a couple of weeks ago, Van Gaal's mantra that the club remain in three different competitions is not as grand a claim as it sounds. On the basis of the performance at Anfield it might not be a sustainable one for much longer either. The one area where Van Gaal deserves a little sympathy is in only having a couple of days to come back from an exhausting night at Liverpool.

"We have to recover very quick and recover very good," he said. "West Ham did not play in midweek. When you see our schedule and then look at theirs you can see who will be the most rested."

That is true, although the money United spent over the summer reflected the fact they thought they would be competing at Champions League level at this stage, and had they still been involved in the main European competition there would not be the feeling that a stuttering season will come crashing around Van Gaal's ears should they go out of the FA Cup on today. The FA Cup knows its place these days. No one minds missing out if there are more exciting avenues to explore, but United have put themselves in Arsenal's position, hoping that a season that ends with a day out to Wembley will temporarily mask deficiencies elsewhere.

While there is room for argument over whether Arsenal's FA Cup default strategy is more permanent than temporary, at least they keep reaching Wembley and keep winning the trophy. Van Gaal would not silence his critics with FA Cup success either, though that prospect is still a way off. The alternative is vastly more unpalatable. Should United go out of the FA Cup the first time they came up against opponents at their level, then follow it later with a European exit at the hands of Liverpool, their season would be over early and in all probability so would Van Gaal's career in England.

United used to relish matches coming thick and fast at this time of year, it was often said that Ferguson's team only got going in early spring. Obviously competitions get more difficult the further one progresses, and the old United used to embrace that happily. If it turns out the new version cannot handle the heat being turned up in the later stages - and Van Gaal admitted his side could not cope at Anfield - then drawing attention to the fact that you are still in three competitions is the ultimate hollow boast.

"If we can create an atmosphere like the one at Liverpool anything is possible," Van Gaal said, surely clutching at an unattainable straw. "We might beat West Ham, we might even score three goals against Liverpool. We haven't lost too many games at Old Trafford and we have to keep our belief. I cannot deny I was disappointed with the performance at Anfield, but I am hoping it was an isolated incident. It was not what we normally deliver."

That might serve as an unofficial motto for Van Gaal's time at Old Trafford. It remains to be seen whether "Not What We Normally Deliver" becomes an epitaph, but a great deal could depend on the next two results.

Observer

Man Utd v West Ham.