Manchester United winger Juan Mata (middle) celebrates his goal against Norwich City with teammates Jesse Lingard (L) and Memphis Depay. (Photo : Getty Images)
A crucial meeting between West Ham United FC (15-7-14, 59 points) and Manchester United FC (18-9-9, 63 points) is scheduled at the Upton Park on Tuesday, May 10th as the 2015-2016 Premier League season comes down to a close.
West Ham dropped to seventh place in the league table following their 1-4 loss to Swansea City AFC also at their home ground of Upton Park last Saturday, as reported by Daily Mail Online.
An own goal by Swansea defender Stephen Kingsley was the lone goal for manager Slaven Bilić's side at the 68th minute while Wayne Routledge, Andre Ayew, Ki Sung-yueng, and Bafetimbi Gomis each netted one for the Swans at the 25th, 31st, 51st, and 90th+3 minutes to finish the lopsided game.
The loss took away the Hammers' Champions League aspirations and even put in danger their Europa League qualification. They are now one point behind Southampton in the standings and a loss to the Red Devils in their second-to-the-last game of the season will put them closer to disqualification in the Europa League competitions next season.
Meanwhile, Manchester United will look to grab a Champions League qualifying berth from current fourth-placers Manchester City, who are only two points above Louis van Gaal's squad in the current league table.
United is coming off a close 1-0 victory over bottom three team Norwich City FC at the Carrow Road also last Saturday, as per SkySports.
Spanish midfielder Juan Mata provided the winning goal of the match for the Red Devils at the 72nd minute as the team pulled off their fifth clean sheet in seven games.
A win by Manchester United over West Ham will give them a chance at overtaking City for fourth place in the overall standings if Manuel Pellegrini's team loses to Swansea in their finale on Sunday at the Liberty Stadium.
If that happens then van Gaal's squad will steal the final Champions League slot for next season, which could have implications on whether the Dutch coach will stay or exit the Old Trafford this summer.
It is indeed a nail-biting finish for Manchester and West Ham fans as the fate of their teams still hangs in the balance up until the last matchday of the current season.
The predicted result is another 1-0 win for Manchester United.
West Ham United starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Randolph; Antonio, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Kouyaté, Noble; Moses, Lanzini, Payet; Carroll
Manchester United starting lineup (4-1-4-1 formation): De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Rojo, Darmian; Carrick; Lingard, Mata, Rooney, Depay; Martial
