Manchester United have been handed a verdict on the final score against West Ham as Rúben Amorim prepares for a fairly unpredictable affair on Sunday afternoon.
After booking their place in the Europa League final with an emphatic 4-1 win over Athletic Club, Manchester United now turn their focus back to domestic matters.
Rúben Amorim’s men return to Old Trafford for their second-to-last home game of the season, and their final outing at the stadium before the trip to Bilbao, as they host West Ham.
With the Premier League no longer the club’s main priority, Amorim is expected to rotate his squad and give valuable minutes to Academy players while refining his plans for the final.
Despite sitting 15th in the table, United will be determined to end the campaign with some pride and limit the damage of what has been a frustrating league season.
United issued West Ham score prediction
Speaking with BBC Sport ahead of the United vs West Ham fixture, former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton issued how he believes the affair will play out at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, predicting a dismal viewing for those watching.
“I am not sure who would want to watch this game?” Sutton declared. “Manchester United’s second string versus such a poor West Ham side with nothing to play for is not exactly essential viewing, is it?
“The Europa League final is going to be Rúben Amorim’s focus for the rest of the season and Brentford made the most of that when they beat a weakened United team last weekend.
“I am not sure the Hammers are as dynamic as Brentford in attack, however, so they may not be capable of doing the same thing.
“A lot depends on the United team selection, though. It is hard enough making predictions anyway, but it’s even harder when there could be mass changes, and you don’t know whether it is the United first team who are going to play, or be more like the youth team.
“That makes this more of a guess, when I am used to applying science to my predictions, but I wish I had gone for West Ham to draw with Tottenham last week, and I am not going to make the same mistake this time.”
Sutton then added that he feels the final score will end with the two sides playing out a 1-1 draw.
The result still matters to United
While Sutton’s thought process does ring true in some respects, the result and performance of the West Ham fixture does mean a lot to both United’s players and fans despite their lacklustre position in the Premier League.
For the players, the ties against West Ham and then Chelsea represent the chance for some to stake their claims to start in the final.
While some, such as Harry Maguire, Noussair Mazraoui, and Casemiro, are surefire starters in Bilbao, others, like Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo, and Manuel Ugarte, are still battling to secure a spot on the starting team.
For fans, the West Ham fixture represents the club’s last game at Old Trafford before the final, and the fans will want to give the team a good send-off prior to the games against Chelsea and Tottenham.
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