It is relatively rare these days to play the same team twice in successive matches as West Ham visit Old Trafford for the second time in four days. It was a more common phenomenon in the past where home and away fixtures against the same club were scheduled during the Christmas and Easter holidays or when drawn weekend cup matches were replayed on the following Tuesday or Wednesday.
To the best of my knowledge West Ham meeting the same opponents in successive cup and league fixtures has occurred 5 times previously this century: January 2002 v Chelsea (Lost, Draw); April 2006 v Middlesbro (Lost, Won in FA Cup semi-final); December 2007 v Everton (Lost, Lost); January 2008 v Manchester City (Lost, Draw) and March 2011 v Stoke City (Won, Lost). History suggests that by not winning on Sunday we have given ourselves a better chance tonight.
Head to Head
The head to head record is little changed since the weekend.
|
|
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Sequence |
|
Home |
62 |
26 |
21 |
15 |
103 |
90 |
WLDLDD |
|
Away |
66 |
13 |
12 |
41 |
61 |
149 |
DDDLLL |
|
|
128 |
39 |
33 |
56 |
164 |
239 |
|
Team News
Predicting lineups for League Cup games has become very difficult with selection contingent on how seriously the respective managers view the competition in the context of their overall season. It is a potential route into Europe; probably the most promising one for the Hammers while Mourinho’s hubris will ensure his mind remains confident of Champion’s League qualification.
“If we change a few players like United will, it doesn’t mean we are going there just to play a game.It is a quarter-final and to reach the semis is a big thing and we are just a couple of games from the final.”
– Slaven Bilic
Diafro Sakho is back in the treatment room with a hamstring injury while Winston Reid is available again after a one match suspension. Once more an Andy Carroll return has been rumoured but my instinct is that the Arsenal game is a more realistic target for him. The alternating goalkeeper’s rule should mean Adrian between the sticks and I would guess at starts for Reid, Fernandes, Ayew and Fletcher.
Pogba and Fellaini are suspended for Manchester United following their yellow cards in Sunday’s encounter.
The Man in the Middle
A first meeting of the season with referee Mike Jones from Chester. Jones was in charge of two West Ham away fixtures last season at Norwich (D 2-2) and Stoke (L 1-2). Jones has officiated 10 games this season issuing 36 yellow cards and 2 red ones – an impressive 9 of these yellows coming in last weekend’s Arsenal versus Bournemouth game.
Under The Hammers 