The West Ham crowd will make life difficult for Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, according to former Hammers defender James Collins.
Supporters will pack the London Stadium, keen to witness a home victory as David Moyes welcomes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to East London.
United will be looking for the likes of Jadon Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes to silence the 60,000-large crowd and send them home empty-handed.
But Collins believes that West Ham fans have a vital role to play in getting their side over the line and making life difficult for a side boasting their “main man” in Ronaldo.
“The main man is back there which will only make things more difficult,” Collins said in an interview with West Ham’s official website.
“They’ve looked brilliant this season, I must say. They will be up there – I was speaking to Teddy Sheringham yesterday and we both thought they would push all the way at the top this season.
“They had a great transfer window and there’s a really good feeling around their club at the moment too, the way they’re playing and scoring goals. It’s going to be a tough afternoon for the lads but the way we’ve played since David Moyes came back in, we’ve defended very well.
“The boys will have to be on form at the weekend, but we’ll have 60,000 there and it’s like having an extra man on the pitch. I’ll be there cheering them on which is an added bonus too. It’ll be a tough afternoon but why not go out there and beat them?
“We’ve had some great results against Manchester United when I was at West Ham and it’s a special day when they come to town. It seems to lift everyone. They’ve signed some great players, Cristiano Ronaldo has lifted their whole profile again. It’s going to be a tough game but one everybody looks forward to.”
United ran out 3-1 winners in the same fixture last season thanks to a second-half 13-minute spell which saw Paul Pogba, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford all get on the scoresheet to cancel out Tomas Soucek's first-half opener.
The Red Devils' away form has been tremendous, currently standing at 28 games unbeaten, and they will look to not only keep that record going but also reclaim top spot in the Premier League table.
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