Preview: West Ham United vs Manchester United

Form guide: After the derby disappointment, Manchester United returned to winning ways in what might be considered a similar fixture to Wednesday's, away to Stoke City. The 2-0 victory over the Potters will hopefully set the Reds up for another silky yet steely display against Sam Allardyce's West Ham United, a side who've made good use of Andy Carroll's aerial prowess during his season-long loan from Liverpool. The powerful striker scored his sixth goal in seven games on Saturday, albeit with a blast from a free-kick rather than a trademark header, as the Hammers held Southampton 1-1 at St Mary's. Prior to that, Allardyce's men beat West Brom 3-1 at Upton Park to propel their push towards guaranteed safety and potentially a top-half finish.

Ins and outs: Sir Alex Ferguson could freshen up at the back, especially if he feels Nemanja Vidic – described as a "bit short" of fitness by the boss on Friday – and Rio Ferdinand need a rest after the rigours of Stoke. Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling were both fit enough to be on the bench at the Britannia Stadium. As for West Ham, defenders Winston Reid and George McCartney and midfielders Mark Noble and Joe Cole were all unavailable for selection by Allardyce on Saturday.

Last meeting: Wayne Rooney scored the only goal when the Reds beat the Hammers 1-0 at Old Trafford in January's FA Cup third-round replay, after the original tie at Upton Park ended 2-2.

Did you know? The Reds' first-ever league match at Upton Park was on Boxing Day (26 December) in 1922. Nothing unusual in that, you might think, but the sides had also played each other 24 hours earlier – yes, on Christmas Day – at Old Trafford. In both games, the away team won (2-1, then 2-0).

Opposition boss: Sam Allardyce's tenure at West Ham will soon outstrip his stint as Blackburn boss in terms of matches he's been manager for. To date, his 87 games with the Hammers have resulted in 38 wins, 23 draws and 26 defeats. He won only 32 – and lost 34 – of his 90 fixtures with Rovers.

Quote/unquote: "I think if we win them all, we get a recording our pockets, so it's a good aim, a nice target for all of us to achieve." – Wayne Rooney eyes the six remaining games, starting with West Ham.

Sub-plots: If the Reds pick up at least a point in East London, then the club's next visit to the capital could be the day we're all waiting for. After hosting Aston Villa next Monday, 22 April, Sir Alex's men go to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal on Sunday 28. Seven points from those three games would confirm United as champions, even if Manchester City keep winning.

Whistle blower: Wiltshire's Lee Probert will referee a Reds match for only the second time this season, having previously been on duty for November's home win over Queens Park Rangers. He's shown two red cards in his last two games – dismissing Steve Sidwell in Fulham's derby clash with QPR and Everton's Steven Pienaar during their helpful 2-0 win against Man City.

Papers: Rooney likely to sign new deal

Manchester United Striker Wayne Rooney is likely to sign a new contract to extend his Manchester United career this summer, despite suggestions from France that Paris Saint-Germain have concluded a deal for the player. It is understood that PSG's Qatari owners would be interested if Rooney came on to the market, though they do not believe that situation will arise, or that SirAlex Ferguson would sanction the sale of one of his top players to a potential Champions League knock-out stage rival. The relationship between Rooney and Ferguson does appear to have thawed since the player was omitted from the
starting line-up for the Champions League tie with Real Madrid last month and the prospects of contract talks beginning this summer are strong. There do not appear to be any plans to move for a striker to present Rooney with competition for places, contrary to suggestions of the club scouting Atletico Madrid's Radamel Falcao. There are no plans to move for Falcao.
Not all the papers are so sure Rooney's future lies at Old Trafford, however. The Express , The Mirror and The Sun all lead on Michel Moulin 's comments on French TV, where the boss of French publication 10 Sport revealed:"Rooney to PSG is done. I announce from trusted sources, he will be at PSG next season."


In non-Rooney news, Arsenal's Jack Wilshere says he's determined not to let United win the league at the Emirates when the Reds travel to north London on Sunday 28 April."We beat United here the season before last, so we know we're capable of it."

Sir Alex salutes Red's character

Manchester United's 2-0 away win at Stoke City on Sunday was a test of character that the Reds passed with flying colours, according to Sir Alex.
The challenge is now to repeat it with another tricky away trip to take on West Ham at Upton Park on Wednesday night.

Following defeats to Chelsea in the FA Cup sixth round replay and then Manchester City in the Barclays Premier League, United were in need of a win at the Stoke City to ensure no further incentives were handed to Roberto Mancini's men in the title race.
In windy conditions against a team renowned for their physicality and a home crowd lauded for its partisan atmosphere, the Reds delivered a composed performance under pressure to gain another valuable three points.
Having had time to reflect on the result, the performance and its potential broader significance, Sir Alex told ManUtd.com : "I always say you don't leave your character in the dressing room and I think we saw that against Stoke.
"The Britannia Stadium is not an easy place to go to and we had this swirling wind in the first half in particular, which was difficult, but nonetheless we had to find a way through it and we kept our composure. We weren't over-anxious about the game – we kept playing the ball, passing it around.
"We didn't make a lot of chances, but we've done that at Stoke over the last six years and made very few chances but usually won the games: a late goal from Tevez, a late goal from Chicharito.
"The performance and the character the players showed was terrific."
United now need a maximum seven points to clinch title no.20, but the team's mantra of focusing on the next game remains, and so attentions now turn firmly to taking another three points from Sam Allardyce's West Ham side.