It has not been a great few weeks for West Ham fans, and it doesn’t get much better with the news that Diafra Sakho will be out for around three months, adding him to the growing list of injuries.
Manchester United have conceded one home league goal all season, so if we are going to break them down, that task has been made a whole lot harder with the absence of Sakho.
The good news is that Zarate is looking very good, scoring an excellent free kick in our last game, and he could be in contention to start the game at Old Trafford.
It has been four games without a win now, but with four away wins already this season, three coming against the big boys, we should certainly go to Old Trafford with no fear and look to take the game to the Red Devils.
Manuel Lanzini will be the man we look to get the ball to and he will be the one picking up the ball in little pockets of space and leading the counter attacks. Expect Man United to have a lot of possession, but we have been so dangerous on the break this season that this could play right into our hands.
It has been a while since we beat United away in the league, the last time was back in 2007, when Carlos Tevez scored one of our most memorable goals in recent history in a 1-0 win to complete ‘The Great Escape’.
There are rumours that Rooney is not fit to play today, which would again weaken their side a great deal, but we have to be wary of the likes of Juan Mata, who has been a revelation for United this season.
It has also been a while since new boy Anthony Martial scored in the league, so he will be looking to get his name on the score sheet and we will have to keep an close eye on him and not give him space to run at us, or he will do damage.
As for how I think we should line up, it is a bold decision to do what I think could work, but whether Slaven will do this is a different question…
I think it would be effective if we play without a recognised striker and have Zarate, Lanzini and Moses all rotating in a forward three and play as a more unpredictable side.
I would keep the back four the same as last week, but bring in Noble and have three defensive minded midfielders battling and breaking up the midfield.
The tactic to play without any recognised striker is definitely bold and I do not think Bilic will with the likes of Carroll ready to play, but I have noticed that Smalling does better when he battles a striker, so if he has different/no players to mark, he may just lose his concentration and that is where we can hurt them.
Obiang and Kouyate holding will give our defence a great deal of support, with Noble just in front pressing the midfield and putting in the challenges.
I always leave a score prediction and I must say I do think we will get a positive result and put in an excellent performance, so I am going to say 0-1 to the Hammers – Zarate to score!
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