Vidic Expects Hammers Test

Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic expects another tough test on Wednesday night when the Reds travel to London to meet West Ham.

Sir Alex’s men emerged from a bruising encounter at Stoke on Sunday with a 2-0 win and Vidic, who was terrific in the heart of United’s defence, believes West Ham will pose a similar physical threat.

“Stoke is always a difficult place to go to but we fought for every ball, played some good football and, in the end, I think we deserved to win,” he told MUTV. "It was physical. You know they're going to get the ball to the forwards, they're good at set-pieces, they're going to challenge defenders.

“Now it's West Ham and we have to play well again. They play in a similar style to Stoke – we're going to have long balls and set-pieces to deal with.”

Victory at West Ham would leave the Reds needing just four points from five games to secure a 20th league title. Vidic admits lifting the Barclays Premier League trophy is on his mind, but knows nothing is guaranteed in football.

“Yes, you think you're almost there but you have to win the games,” he said. “[Winning at Stoke] helps us build up the confidence and a few players had a great game – people like Antonio, Wayne and Robin.

“It's important for players like this to be in good form for the games to come.”