Manchester United will attempt to bounce back from back-to-back defeats when they welcome West Ham United to Old Trafford in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup this weekend.
The Red Devils have lost their last two in all competitions without scoring - the latest of which came at Liverpool in the Europa League on Thursday. West Ham, however, are on a six-match unbeaten run and currently sit above Man United in the Premier League table.
Man United
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Four consecutive wins between February 22 and March 2 led to suggestions that Louis van Gaal had turned a corner at Man United and could save what has been a poor campaign in the final months. The Dutchman's side are now back to square one, however, following back-to-back defeats across two separate competitions.
In truth, the Red Devils were extremely fortunate to beat Watford in their last Premier League match at Old Trafford, but any hope of closing the gap on the top four ended when they lost 1-0 at West Bromwich Albion last weekend. That should have fired up the troops ahead of Thursday's Europa League last-16 first leg with Liverpool, but a lifeless performance saw Van Gaal's side suffer a 2-0 defeat.
Man United are still only three points off the top four in the Premier League, but fourth-placed Manchester City have a game in hand and West Ham also sit above the 20-time English champions in the table. The Europa League and FA Cup are currently keeping Van Gaal in a job, which is an indication of the importance of the next seven days.
Indeed, next Thursday, Man United will welcome Liverpool for the second leg of their Europa League clash, before travelling to Man City in the league next weekend. In theory, their season could be over if they exit both cup competitions and lose further ground on fourth.
Man United might be 11-time winners of the FA Cup, but they have not lifted the trophy since 2004, when they beat Millwall in the final. They have also lost both of their last two sixth-round appearances - including defeat at home to Arsenal last season.
Wins over Sheffield United, Derby County and Shrewsbury Town have taken Man United into the quarter-finals, but this is without question their biggest test of the season. The knives will once again be out for Van Gaal and surely even the seemingly indestructible Dutchman could not last if the next three matches do not go to plan.
Recent form: WWLWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWLL
West Ham
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Man United might be struggling at the moment, but the same cannot be said for West Ham, who are enjoying a spectacular campaign. Indeed, the Hammers are very much in the race for a top-four finish in the Premier League and will also fancy their chances of lifting their fourth FA Cup and their first since 1980.
Slaven Bilic's side have won 10 of their last 15 games in all competitions, including each of their last four, to leave the supporters dreaming. A move to a new stadium is just around the corner and the capital side will fancy their chances of luring some big names in the summer transfer window if they can secure a trophy and a European finish.
Dimitri Payet will rightly take most of the plaudits for his performances this season, but the skipper Mark Noble has been an inspiration in the middle of the park and both were in fine form last weekend when Bilic's side came from two goals behind to beat Everton 3-2 at Goodison Park.
That victory moved the Hammers into fifth position in the Premier League table, but they will have to face Chelsea and Arsenal in two of their next three matches. At the moment, it is all going very well, but that could change if they exit the FA Cup at Old Trafford and suffer a couple of disappointing results against their capital rivals.
In terms of progression to this stage of the competition, West Ham overcame Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round, before beating Liverpool at home following a replay. Their spot in the quarter-finals was secured with a 5-1 win at Championship side Blackburn Rovers last month.
Somewhat surprisingly, this is West Ham's first quarter-final appearance in the FA Cup since the 2010-11 season, when they lost at Stoke City. They last reached the final a decade ago and there is no question that this West Ham side has the credentials to book a spot at Wembley once again.
Recent form: WLWDWW
Recent form (all competitions): WDWWWW
Team News
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Man United will be without the services of Juan Mata through suspension, but Jesse Lingard is available after missing the Liverpool match through a European ban.
Wayne Rooney, Luke Shaw and Ashley Young remain on the sidelines, but Bastian Schweinsteiger is in line for a start after making his return off the bench on Thursday. Antonio Valencia is also in contention for a place in the squad.
Ander Herrera is expected to replace Mata in the number 10 position, while Anthony Martial should continue at centre-forward, dropping Marcus Rashford to the bench.
As for West Ham, Enner Valencia, Victor Moses and Joey O'Brien are all available following spells on the sidelines and Winston Reid could also return at centre-back.
James Collins and James Tomkins will both miss out through injury, however, and January signing Sam Byram is cup-tied. Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho, meanwhile, are both in line to replace Emmanuel Emenike in the final third of the field.
Man United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Varela, Smalling, Blind, Rojo; Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin; Memphis, Herrera, Lingard; Martial
West Ham possible starting lineup:
Adrian; O'Brien, Ogbonna, Reid, Cresswell; Noble, Obiang; Antonio, Payet, Lanzini; Carroll
Head To Head
These two teams last met in the FA Cup three seasons ago, with Man United securing their spot in the fourth round with a 1-0 win at Old Trafford following a 2-2 draw at Upton Park.
Overall, the pair have clashed on 131 occasions in all competitions. Man United have 61 wins to their name, West Ham 42, while the remaining 28 have finished level.
In terms of recent history, the two sides played out a 1-1 draw at Upton Park in the Premier League last season, before drawing 0-0 at Old Trafford in December 2015.
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We say: Man United 1-1 West Ham (replay)
West Ham boss Bilic spoke in his press conference about the need to be aware of the "wounded animal" that is Man United, but the Red Devils have not shown much fight in recent weeks.
The visitors will be full of confidence entering the match, but Man United have been pretty strong at home this season and we are backing the pair to play out a 1-1 draw and therefore need a replay to determine who makes the semi-finals.
Matt Law
