The 3 key battles as West Ham face Manchester United in the Premier League

Andy Carroll vs Marcos Rojo

Manchester United have been better defensively in the last few weeks, but they’ll come up against an ever-improving Andy Carroll at the London Stadium this afternoon.

And, based on his most recent displays, the 27-year-old is going to cause the likes of Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo no end of problems later on today.

Carroll has netted twice in his last six games for West Ham, the latest of which in their 4-1 triumph over Swansea on Boxing Day, but it’s also his all round performance, and indeed what he offers the Hammers in the final third, which could some way to determining the outcome this evening.

Rojo has surprised many with his defensive displays this season at the heart of the United defence, but he’ll come up against a different challenge this afternoon, with Carroll as good as anyone in the division in the air.

How well Rojo defends against Carroll, and contrastingly how well Carroll is able to dominate his man in the air, could be a key factor in deciding the outcome of tonight’s game.