Bottom club West Ham United welcome Champions Manchester United at Upton Park this weekend in a match that is important for both the clubs for different reasons.
While West Ham look forward to claim the points to stay clear of the relegation zone, a victory would reduce the gap between United and the league leaders Chelsea.
West Ham have struggled badly in the Premier League so far. After finishing in a respectable ninth place last season, Gianfranco Zola’s team are currently battling relegation having picked up just 14 points from as many matches – leaving them in 17th spot.
Having beaten Aston Villa, drawn with Arsenal and lost only narrowly to Tottenham and Liverpool already this season, Zola insists he is relishing the visit of another of the league's big guns.
West Ham will be without England pair Carlton Cole and Matthew Upson.
Striker Cole is set to be out until the end of January with a knee ligament injury sustained in the Hammers' 5-3 win against Burnley last weekend, while centre-back Upson has not fully recovered from a hamstring strain.
Switzerland midfielder Valon Behrami is missing with a knee injury while a muscle strain sidelines Luis Jimenez.
Alessandro Diamanti is back from a hip complaint and is in contention but Mark Noble is a doubt with a virus.
Manchester United’s youngsters recorded an important 2-0 League Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur in midweek, but it will be the more established stars returning to the team for this trip to the capital.
Following Chelsea’s comprehensive 3-0 win over Arsenal, many pundits and observers have ruled the Gunners out of this season’s title race, which leaves just United as the challengers to what is starting to look like an unstoppable Blue machine.
The Red Devils are five points adrift at present, but as long as they can prevent the gap from worsening, Sir Alex Ferguson will remain confident given Chelsea’s predicted struggles when they lose key players like Didier Drogba and Michael Essien for January’s African Cup of Nations in Angola.
Edwin van der Sar is set to return to the Manchester United line-up for Saturday's trip to West Ham.
The veteran Dutchman has missed three games since injuring his knee in a collision with Everton's Tim Cahill at Old Trafford a fortnight ago but has now recovered and is expected to replace Tomasz Kuszczak.
Jonny Evans (calf) and John O'Shea (dead leg) are still sidelined, along with long-term casualties Rio Ferdinand (back) and Owen Hargreaves (knee).
REVIEW:
Manchester United maintained the pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea with a comfortable victory over West Ham United at Upton Park.
Manchester United produced a storming second half performance to welcome Sir Alex Ferguson back to the bench. Goals from Wayne Rooney, Antonio Valencia, Paul Scholes and a stunning strike by Darron Gibson sealed a convincing United win at Upton Park. But Ferguson will face further defensive injuries that leaves United with eight defenders on the sidelines.
With Ferguson back on the touchline following his two match ban, United started the match with an unfamiliar defensive line-up. Gary Neville joined Wes Brown in the centre of defence – both forced out of the game before the end of the match – and Darren Fletcher lined-up at right-back.
The rout, United’s biggest winning margin at Upton Park since 1967, came after a quiet opening half-hour from the visitors. With typically boisterous Upton Park crowd, the home side attacked adventurously without creating any clear chances.
Rooney played as a lone striker for the first hour or so, and the only surprise was it took 44 minutes to break down an injury-hit West Ham United.
Paul Scholes made the breakthrough in first-half stoppage time, hitting a half-volley from the edge of the penalty area with his left-foot after the home side failed to clear the ball repeatedly.
Robert Green got a hand to the ball but could not stop it, and the England goalkeeper had to be replaced in the 73rd minute, by which time his side were dead and buried.
It was to prove a costly miss as less than five minutes later the visitors had doubled their lead with another great strike from range. Giggs, yet again, was the instigator breaking down the left before rolling the ball to Darron Gibson, who repeated his midweek heroics, by rifling into the top corner from fully 20 yards.
The champions then assumed full control and two goals in two minutes made the game completely safe as the east Londoners were overwhelmed.
First Antonio Valencia tapped in Anderson’s low cross before the Ecuadorian turned provider with his cross allowing Wayne Rooney an easy finish to ensure all three points.
The win sees the Red Devils move to within two points of Chelsea, ahead of their clash with Manchester City, while West Ham remain mired in trouble at the bottom of the table.