A new year, a new start…. Well, the Reds will be hoping to pick up where things were left off following a brilliant end to 2016. Jose Mourinho’s men, who are the only English team still fighting on four fronts, have strung together an impressive sequence of wins to maintain the pressure on our rivals at the top of the table.
Any team news? Mourinho made five changes to the team which dramatically beat Middlesbrough on New Year's Eve with the West Ham trip very much in mind. One player the Reds will definitely be without is Eric Bailly who is leaving immediately to join the Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations. Wayne Rooney has missed the last two matches with a thigh problem and Mourinho said on Saturday evening that his captain has "a little chance" to be ready for the game. The United boss also confirmed that illness had forced Michael Carrick out of the Boro game, but added that, "Michael has a bigger chance than Rooney. Let's see how he is tomorrow." Meanwhile, the Hammers are set to be without a host of first-team players, including long-term absentees Diafra Sakho, Arthur Masuaku, Alvaro Arbeloa and Gokhan Tore. There is also a doubt over captain Mark Noble, who was forced out of Saturday's loss at Leicester City following a bad tackle from Daniel Amartey.
How have West Ham fared recently? After an indifferent start to the season which saw them hovering around the relegation zone, the east London outfit have made steady progress to propel themselves into mid-table. Since a crushing 5-1 defeat at home to Arsenal at the start of December, the Hammers have reacted positively with an encouraging draw at Liverpool followed by three successive victories before their New Year’s Eve defeat to champions Leicester City.
How did we get on against the Hammers earlier in the season? Well, the Reds have actually faced Slaven Bilic’s side on two occasions already this term and are unbeaten in both meetings. United welcomed them to Old Trafford twice in the space of four days at the end of November – Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s header earned a 1-1 draw in the league before our no.9 struck twice in a 4-1 victory in the EFL Cup which booked our place in the semi-finals of the competition.
Any former Reds in the West Ham squad? Yes, one player who will be familiar is young striker Ashley Fletcher. The England Under-20 international, who left Old Trafford to join the Hammers permanently last summer, has had to be patient for an opportunity in the team but has shown plenty of promise and scored his only goal for his new club so far, against the Reds in the EFL Cup.
How do the rest of the top-flight start the New Year? All 20 Premier League clubs will be in action across three days starting on Monday, while Watford, Tottenham, Arsenal and Crystal Palace will be playing for the second time in 2017 after their respective games on New Year’s Day.
Monday 2 January (15:00 GMT unless stated)
Middlesbrough v Leicester City (12:30)
Everton v Southampton
Manchester City v Burnley
Sunderland v Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Hull City
Tuesday 3 January 2017
Bournemouth v Arsenal (19:45)
Crystal Palace v Swansea City (20:00)
Stoke City v Watford (20:00)
Wednesday 4 January 2017
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea (20:00)
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