Manchester United kick off their Women’s Super League campaign by hosting West Ham United on Saturday lunchtime.
The Red Devils endured a disappointing league campaign under Marc Skinner last season, ending up fifth and six points off Liverpool above them. However, the season was salvaged by an impressive FA Cup venture, with Man Utd eventually beating Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 in the final at Wembley Stadium.
With some impressive summer acquisitions arriving in Manchester, Skinner will be aiming to lead his side to a much stronger finish in the WSL, starting with a fairly favorable home fixture against West Ham.
The Hammers finished second from bottom in the WSL last season after securing just 15 points. While they finished some way ahead of demoted Bristol City, they managed just three victories and will need to make significant improvements under Rehanne Skinner for the 2024/25 campaign to avoid a relegation battle.
Here is 90min’s guide to Man Utd’s clash with West Ham on matchday one in the WSL.
Man Utd vs West Ham H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
| Man Utd | West Ham |
|---|---|
| Tottenham 1-0 Man Utd – 09/15/24 | Leicester 5-2 West Ham – 01/09/24 |
| Man Utd 2-0 Leicester – 09/11/24 | West Ham 0-1 PSG – 08/28/24 |
| Man Utd 3-1 Newcastle – 01/09/24 | Tottenham 3-1 West Ham – 05/18/24 |
| Man Utd 3-0 Durham – 14/08/24 | West Ham 1-1 Leicester – 05/05/24 |
| Man Utd 0-6 Chelsea – 18/05/24 | Aston Villa 1-1 West Ham – 04/28/24 |
| Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | MUTV, YouTube |
| United States | YouTube |
| Canada | YouTube |
Man Utd have been busy bolstering an already talented squad over the summer, with Dominique Janssen of Wolfsburg a particularly exciting addition. Forward Elisabeth Terland also arrived from Brighton after 13 WSL goals last term and Melvine Malard’s loan was made permanent.
However, there were some notable departures, including Mary Earps. The goalkeeper moved to Paris Saint-Germain and was followed out of the exit door by the influential Katie Zelem, who joined Angel City.
Lucia Garcia and Nikita Parris departed on the wing but Celin Bizet has been signed from Tottenham Hotspur to help fill the void left by their exits.
For this one, Marc Skinner has a full squad at his disposal aside from Evie Rabjohn, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury on international duty during the summer, and Hannah Blundell, who announced her pregnancy earlier this month.
Man Utd predicted lineup vs West Ham (4-2-3-1): Tullis-Joyce; Riviere, Le Tissier, Janssen, Sandberg; Naalsund, Ladd; Geyse, Toone, Malard; Terland.
After a difficult 2023/24 campaign, West Ham have strengthened their squad significantly over the summer period. Manuela Pavi is an exciting new recruit and the Colombian forward represented her country at the Olympics over the summer.
Kinga Szemik should make her debut in goal after signing from Reims and Chile international Camila Sae is likely to start in the heart of defense after a move from Madrid CFF. Seraina Piubel could also earn some minutes after swapping Switzerland for England.
West Ham predicted lineup vs Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Szemik; Denton, Zadorsky, Saez, Smith; Gorry, Brynjarsdottir; Pavi, Piubel, Asseyi; Ueki.
West Ham have lost four of their last five meetings with Man Utd in the WSL, scoring just once across those matches. Traveling to Old Trafford for Saturday’s campaign opener is a daunting proposition despite some positive summer business.
Man Utd have lost some key players ahead of the new season but they should still have more than enough quality to open up a West Ham side that conceded 45 goals in 22 matches last term. The Hammers aren’t particularly strong going forward either, which should make for a comfortable win for the Red Devils.
