United will bring the curtain down on famous ground's Barclays Premier League legacy on Tuesday, with the Hammers moving into their new home at the Olympic Stadium for the 2016-17 campaign.
The clash is United's match in hand over their top-four rivals and three points in the capital could prove crucial in Van Gaal's mission to take them back into Europe's elite club competition.
History favours the 13-time BPL champions, with United unbeaten in the league at the Boleyn Ground since 2007 – a run of six matches.
"We have a lot of respect to West Ham United; we are not trying to spoil their party," said the Dutch coach. "But we do need the three points. That is different.
Man Utd and Rooney stand in way of Boleyn landmark >>
"It will be a big night and an emotional night for them. It [playing the final game at the Boleyn Ground] is a negative for us. We have to play against an opponent who says goodbye to the stadium so they don't want to lose.
"They have already lost to Manchester United in the last FA Cup match so that is not very good for us and West Ham United are a very good team.
"The game is not just about a farewell party for West Ham either, with manager Slaven Bilic also hoping for a European place despite Saturday's 4-1 defeat to Swansea City.
The top four is still a possibility for the Hammers, but the Europa League looks to be a more realistic goal and Bilic has demanded an immediate response to ensure they have continental football to look forward to in their new home.
"We have to bounce back. We have two games left and want to finish high," he said. "Our aim is to show a good spirit and character that has been with us all season and we hope to show that against Manchester United.
"It will be an emotional night, but the fact that it is the final ever game makes it even more special and we have to stay cool and stay focused because we want to win the game.
"We have been thinking about a European place since we knew it was reachable and we can still do it. When we give our best we still have a lot to offer."
West Ham have no new injury worries, but the visitors are likely to be without Matteo Darmian (ankle) after he left Saturday's 1-0 win over Norwich City on a stretcher, while Anthony Martial (hamstring) is also a doubt after pulling up prior to the Carrow Road clash.
West Ham United (from): Randolph, Spiegel, Byram, Collins, Cresswell, Henry, O'Brien, Ogbonna, Oxford, Reid, Tomkins, Antonio, Cullen, Kouyate, Lanzini, Moses, Noble, Obiang, Payet, Samuelsen, Song, Carroll, Emenike, Jelavic, Sakho, Valencia.
Manchester United (from): De Gea, Romero, Borthwick-Jackson, Jones, McNair, Rojo, Smalling, Valencia, Varela, Blind, Fosu-Mensah, Carrick, Herrera, Januzaj, Lingard, Mata, Pereira, Schneiderlin, Young, Depay, Martial, Rashford, Rooney.
Match Appointments
Referee: Mike Dean Assistants: S Long, S Bennett Fourth Official: R East
Match Facts
- Manchester United have lost none of their last 14 Barclays Premier League matches against West Ham United (W11 D3 L0).
- Wayne Rooney has scored 11 goals in 15 league appearances for Man Utd against West Ham, as well as a competition record of seven as an opposition player at the Boleyn Ground.
- Man Utd have averaged 2.19 points from BPL matches played on a Tuesday (P43 W28 D10 L5), the best rate of any side in the competition.
- This will be West Ham’s 384th and final BPL match at the Boleyn Ground, and a win will take the Hammers to 601 points won on home soil in the competition (W167 D97 L119).
The clash is United's match in hand over their top-four rivals and three points in the capital could prove crucial in Van Gaal's mission to take them back into Europe's elite club competition.
History favours the 13-time BPL champions, with United unbeaten in the league at the Boleyn Ground since 2007 – a run of six matches.
"We have a lot of respect to West Ham United; we are not trying to spoil their party," said the Dutch coach. "But we do need the three points. That is different.
Man Utd and Rooney stand in way of Boleyn landmark >>
"It will be a big night and an emotional night for them. It [playing the final game at the Boleyn Ground] is a negative for us. We have to play against an opponent who says goodbye to the stadium so they don't want to lose.
"They have already lost to Manchester United in the last FA Cup match so that is not very good for us and West Ham United are a very good team.
"The game is not just about a farewell party for West Ham either, with manager Slaven Bilic also hoping for a European place despite Saturday's 4-1 defeat to Swansea City.
The top four is still a possibility for the Hammers, but the Europa League looks to be a more realistic goal and Bilic has demanded an immediate response to ensure they have continental football to look forward to in their new home.
"We have to bounce back. We have two games left and want to finish high," he said. "Our aim is to show a good spirit and character that has been with us all season and we hope to show that against Manchester United.
"It will be an emotional night, but the fact that it is the final ever game makes it even more special and we have to stay cool and stay focused because we want to win the game.
"We have been thinking about a European place since we knew it was reachable and we can still do it. When we give our best we still have a lot to offer."
West Ham have no new injury worries, but the visitors are likely to be without Matteo Darmian (ankle) after he left Saturday's 1-0 win over Norwich City on a stretcher, while Anthony Martial (hamstring) is also a doubt after pulling up prior to the Carrow Road clash.
West Ham United (from): Randolph, Spiegel, Byram, Collins, Cresswell, Henry, O'Brien, Ogbonna, Oxford, Reid, Tomkins, Antonio, Cullen, Kouyate, Lanzini, Moses, Noble, Obiang, Payet, Samuelsen, Song, Carroll, Emenike, Jelavic, Sakho, Valencia.
Manchester United (from): De Gea, Romero, Borthwick-Jackson, Jones, McNair, Rojo, Smalling, Valencia, Varela, Blind, Fosu-Mensah, Carrick, Herrera, Januzaj, Lingard, Mata, Pereira, Schneiderlin, Young, Depay, Martial, Rashford, Rooney.
Match Appointments
Referee: Mike Dean Assistants: S Long, S Bennett Fourth Official: R East
Match Facts
- Manchester United have lost none of their last 14 Barclays Premier League matches against West Ham United (W11 D3 L0).
- Wayne Rooney has scored 11 goals in 15 league appearances for Man Utd against West Ham, as well as a competition record of seven as an opposition player at the Boleyn Ground.
- Man Utd have averaged 2.19 points from BPL matches played on a Tuesday (P43 W28 D10 L5), the best rate of any side in the competition.
- This will be West Ham’s 384th and final BPL match at the Boleyn Ground, and a win will take the Hammers to 601 points won on home soil in the competition (W167 D97 L119).
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