West Ham United will bid a fond farewell to the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday night when they welcome Manchester United in their final ever match at the famous stadium.

It is sure to be an emotional occasion as the Hammers end a 112-year era, although matters on the field are also of great importance for both clubs.

West Ham

From Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters to academy graduates such as Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard, the Boleyn Ground has produced and played host to some of the greatest players this country has ever seen.

It will be tough for the club to say goodbye to a place so steeped in history, but that pain will be eased by optimism for the future sparked by their performances on the field this season and off it ahead of the next campaign.

Any fears that the Hammers may struggle to fill the Olympic Stadium were quashed on Monday as the club confirmed that they have sold all of their 50,000 season tickets for the new ground.

That, coupled with the news that they are eyeing big-money signings this summer, will raise hopes that they can avoid any first-season troubles in Stratford and continue what looks to be an exciting upward trajectory.

The current crop of players can take a lot of credit for that too, and a strong end to the campaign will ensure that their first year at the Olympic Stadium will be graced with European football.

Sixth place remains in their hands should they win their final two games of the season, although a failure to beat either Manchester United on Tuesday or Stoke City at the weekend would open the door for Southampton to pip the Hammers to a guaranteed Europa League spot.

Until last weekend West Ham were still in the hunt for a Champions League place, but a shock 4-1 home defeat at the hands of Swansea City in their final Saturday fixture at Upton Park saw those chances effectively ended due to their vastly inferior goal difference compared to Manchester City.

The loss was a first in 11 Premier League games for Slaven Bilic's side, and allowed the Saints to climb above them in the standings courtesy of their 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur a day later.

It was also a first home league defeat since August and only their third of the season, so the Hammers will be keen to return to the form that they have shown in front of their own fans for the vast majority of the campaign to give the Boleyn Ground a fitting send-off.

It will be West Ham's 384th and final Premier League outing on home turf, with 167 wins, 97 draws and 119 defeats in that time. A victory would take them over the 600-point mark at home in the league.

Recent form: DDDWWL
Recent form (all competitions): DLDWWL

Man Utd

While all eyes will be on West Ham for their final match at Upton Park, Manchester United have their own agenda heading into Tuesday's game and will be looking to spoil the party.

A turbulent and underwhelming campaign could yet have a triumphant ending for the Red Devils, despite it appearing otherwise on a number of occasions throughout the season.

Persistent reports have suggested that manager Louis van Gaal has been on the brink of the sack for much of the year, but the Dutchman now knows that Champions League qualification and a first trophy of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era are in his hands.

Manchester City's 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday means that victory for United against both West Ham and then at home to Bournemouth on the final day of the season would guarantee them fourth place, with the Red Devils enjoying a game in hand over their local rivals and sitting only two points behind.

They also have an FA Cup final against Crystal Palace to look forward to as they bid to win the famous old trophy for the first time since 2004 - something that could reportedly be enough for Van Gaal to keep his job beyond the summer.

It would be some rescue job from the Dutchman, although it may be seen as a case of papering over the cracks for a number of disgruntled supporters and the unemployed Jose Mourinho will still be on the wishlists of many.

United have, after all, registered 11 fewer goals than the next lowest scorers in the top nine of the table and, while they have kept a league-high 18 clean sheets this season, such are the expectations at the club that the fans demand more.

Things have improved in recent weeks, with five wins and a draw from their last six outings in all competitions and only one loss in their last 11, but away from home they have won just two of their last six league games.

Their record on the road this season is substantially worse than at Old Trafford, and on Wednesday they will be looking to string together back-to-back away league wins for the first time since March 2015.

Should they achieve that then they would avoid the ignominy of recording their lowest-ever Premier League points tally, with two more needed from their final couple of games this season to surpass that unwanted landmark.

Recent form: WLWWDW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWDW

Team News

The visitors are expected to be without Anthony Martial on Tuesday after the attacker pulled up with a hamstring injury before his side's win over Norwich City at the weekend.

Wayne Rooney played as the main striker against the Canaries, and the United skipper has scored more Premier League goals than any other visiting player at the Boleyn Ground (seven).

That is part of an 11-goal tally in 15 top-flight meetings for Rooney against the Hammers, although he could be returned to a deeper role should Van Gaal opt to recall the rested Marcus Rashford.

Daley Blind was also left out at Carrow Road and could be brought back in, but Marouane Fellaini will miss out through suspension and Matteo Darmian is a doubt due to an ankle injury.

West Ham have just one absentee for the Upton Park swansong, with goalkeeper Adrian still out and Darren Randolph expected to keep his place in the side as a result.

Bilic could be tempted to make changes following his side's chastening defeat to Swansea last time out, with the likes of Diafra Sakho, Emmanuel Emenike and Enner Valencia all pushing for recalls.

West Ham possible starting lineup:
Randolph; Antonio, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Kouyate, Noble, Sakho, Lanzini, Payet; Valencia

Man Utd possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Blind, Rojo; Schneiderlin, Carrick, Lingard, Rooney, Mata; Rashford

Head To Head

Manchester United have dominated this fixture in recent seasons, winning 11 and losing none of the last 14 Premier League meetings with West Ham.

The Hammers' most recent league win over Man Utd came way back in December 2007, and they have failed to even score in eight of their last 13 top-flight matches against them.

United have already won once at Upton Park this season, doing so in an FA Cup replay just last month when Rashford and Fellaini were both on the scoresheet. This will be the clubs' fourth meeting this season, with the other two ending as draws.

We say: West Ham 2-2 Man Utd

The emotion of the occasion and the atmosphere it will generate is sure to have an effect on both teams in this match, but neither can let it override the primary objective of getting a result. The visitors have been in good form of late, but West Ham will be desperate to sign off in style and also to bounce back from that Swansea defeat. We see this game ending all square.