West Ham haven't won a game away from the London Stadium in 2019 and the prospect of ending that wretched run looks bleak with away matches against Man Utd and Spurs on the horizon.
It's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side who host Manuel Pellegrini's men this weekend at Old Trafford for the Saturday evening kick off as the Hammers look to pick up their first points on the road since February 9 and their 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace.
The Hammers were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea on Monday night as they once again suffered a slow start away from Stratford and were playing catch up. They improved in the second half but were beaten by a world-class display from Blues superstar Eden Hazard who scored twice either side of half time.
Fabian Balbuena made a solid return to action for the Hammers after four months out with a knee injury to give the boss a boost ahead of the run-in and Marko Arnautovic had his best run-out for some time as well but it wasn't enough to get a result.
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It was the introduction of Robert Snodgrass at half time that was the catalyst for change from the visitors as his energy, and positioning, allowed Declan Rice to drop deeper to protect his back four and also freed up Felipe Anderson on the left who put in a shift after the break.
With five games to go, the Hammers hopes of securing a seventh place finish are looking very remote and with not much else to play for, ending the season well is now the probable aim.
So how can Pellegrini sort out this dire away form with his team selection?
Snodgrass has certainly put himself in the frame for a start against Man Utd after his display at Stamford Bridge. He's been in and out of the starting eleven in 2019 but it's clear that away from home, a midfield pairing of Rice and Mark Noble isn't always the best idea. His 45 minute outing on Monday night could have earned him a start this weekend.
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Manuel Lanzini is a bit of a conundrum for Pellegrini. The Argentine admitted after the game on Monday that he is still trying to find his rhythm, which is completely understandable after eight months on the sidelines with a knee injury. The boss might want to consider taking him out of the firing line, Snodgrass could potentially play in his place or Anderson, with the Scotsman deployed a but further wide.
If Samir Nasri was fit, and we wait to see if he is, then he is a logical replacement for Lanzini but the Frenchman is struggling with another calf muscle injury, his third such problem in four months.
In defence, it will probably remain as you were with a back four of Ryan Fredericks, Angelo Ogbonna, Fabian Balbuena and Aaron Cresswell in front of Lukasz Fabianski.
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Depending on his fitness, Michail Antonio could be a possible inclusion, especially with United struggling at left back as Luke Shaw is suspended and Marcos Rojo, who has barely featured for the Reds this season, set to deputise. On the opposite flank, Ashley Young is is also suspended having been sent off against Wolves so Antonio and Anderson interchanging throughout the match could cause problems for the home defence.
Maybe even a surprise recall for Grady Diangana can't be ruled out.
Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic both started at Stamford Bridge but it's likely that only one of them will get the nod at Old Trafford and it'll probably be the Austrian, with a midfielder/winger coming in for the Mexican frontman against his former employers.
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