As West Ham United prepare to mark the end of a very long era this evening, Louis van Gaal has warned Hammers fans he has every intention of playing the party-pooper.
The Manchester United manager takes his squad to the Boleyn Ground, once better known as Upton Park, for what is West Ham's last match before moving into their new home at the Olympic Stadium. But as the curtain comes down on 112 years of football Van Gaal hopes it will be a sad occasion for West Ham in more ways than one.
"We have a lot of respect for West Ham... and so we don't want to spoil their party but we need the three points and that is different," warned the Dutchman. "It is a big night. I think the players shall feel that also."
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United's players know that a win against West Ham will lift them into fourth place, one point in front of Manchester City and, more importantly, in line for a spot in next season's Champions League. United still have a fixture at home to Bournemouth on Sunday, but with City travelling to Swansea at the weekend, Louis van Gaal's side would be favourites to secure the all-important fourth spot.
United won at the Boleyn Ground last month in the FA Cup but one of their most influential players that evening, Marouane Fellaini, misses tonight's match through suspension. The absence of the burly Belgium international will be felt by United at the set-piece, particularly against an opposition who boast in Andy Carroll one of the Premier League's set-piece specialists.
"We have to cope with that," conceded Van Gaal. "We are normally the smallest team in the Premier League so we always have problems with set plays... I am very worried about that."
Daley Blind and Marcus Rashford sat out United's 1-0 win over Norwich at the weekend but both are expected to feature this evening, though doubts remain about the fitness of striker Anthony Martial, who pulled out of Saturday's match after straining a hamstring in the warm-up.
West Ham have something to play for, too, other than the memories of a century or more of football in that part of east London. Victory for the Hammers tonight will take them into sixth spot, two points above Southampton, and set them on course for a spot in next season's Europa League.
But whatever the outcome of tonight's match, there will be a parade of club legends after the final whistle, along with what's being billed as a "spectacular pyrotechnic display". But West Ham co-chairman David Gold has warned fans not to get carried away. "Any incursion on to the pitch will certainly mean cancelling the current squad's richly-deserved lap of appreciation and denying some of our greatest-ever players the chance to take the field for the final time," explained Gold.
"That would be a tragedy, for them and the Boleyn Ground... this is a momentous moment. It's important that we say farewell in a proper way."
