Manchester United hosts West Ham at Old Trafford tonight at 8pm GMT, with the chance to climb to fifth place in the Premier League table. Manager Ruben Amorim has made key selection decisions, with Matthijs de Ligt missing out due to a minor injury.
The Dutch defender's absence opens the door for Ayden Heaven to make his first Premier League start since last season's final day against Aston Villa. De Ligt had played every minute of United's Premier League campaign until tonight, having been named player of the month for November.
Amorim confirmed the injury is not serious. «It's a small thing. I expect to have him in the next game [against Wolves on Monday]. The rest of the guys are ready,» he told Sky Sports.
Team news and tactical changes
Matheus Cunha returns to the starting lineup after missing two matches with a knock sustained in training. Noussair Mazraoui also comes into the team, with Leny Yoro dropping to the bench following a penalty concession against Crystal Palace.
Earlier this week, Amorim had indicated two unnamed players were injury doubts. «We have two doubts for the game, I will not tell you today because it will change the way we are going to approach so let's see if they can play tomorrow, but the rest of the squad is good,» he said at his pre-match press conference.
Those concerns cleared, with both Bruno Fernandes and Joshua Zirkzee arriving with the squad and named in the starting XI.
Contrasting form
United enters the match seeking to build momentum after a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at the weekend. However, their recent form shows just one win in their last four outings, including a damaging 1-0 home defeat to Everton, who played most of that match with 10 men.
West Ham arrives at Old Trafford looking to recover from a 2-0 home loss to Liverpool. But the Hammers hold a strong recent record against United, winning four of their last five Premier League meetings, including completing a double over them last season for the first time since 2007.
West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo faces his own selection issues, with Lucas Paquetá suspended following his sending-off against Liverpool. Tomáš Souček comes into the midfield to replace him.
How to watch
Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League will broadcast the match live in the UK, with coverage beginning at 7pm GMT ahead of the 8pm kick-off. Sky Sports subscribers can stream via the Sky Go app, while non-subscribers can access the match through a NOW TV day pass.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
