United make the long trek down to the South coast for Saturday’s late kick-off against Bournemouth.
After the infamous 3-0 defeat in December in the corresponding fixture, United will be out for revenge, and will look to put pressure on 5th-place Aston Villa, who face a tough trip to the Emirates on Sunday
After a couple of disappointing results against Brentford and then Chelsea, United stopped the rot to some extent with a decent performance and result against Liverpool, which also knocked the scousers off the top of the league.
And Saturday’s game is no dead rubber.
We currently sit 11 behind Aston Villa with a game in hand. If we win tomorrow and they drop points against Arsenal, we’ll be 8 behind with the extra game to play. These are big ‘ifs’, and although it looks unlikely, that 5th-place Champions League spot is still just within reach.
A win tomorrow is crucial.
Manchester United Team News
Erik Ten Hag has confirmed the absence of centre halves Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans through injury.
They join fellow defenders Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Victor Lindelof on the sidelines, whilst striker Anthony Martial also remains out.
Marcus Rashford looks likely to be available, but Scott McTominay is a doubt.
After Willy Kambwala’s MOTM performance against Liverpool and Antony’s impressive cameo, have those two have earned a starting place against the Cherries?
We also expect to see Mason Mount at some point – he’s looked good after coming on from the bench recently.
Manchester United Predicted Lineup
Bournemouth Team News
Dominic Solanke – who tormented United at Old Trafford this season – looks set to be available having overcome some recent injury issues.
Tyler Adams, Chris Mepham and Antoine Semenyo should also be fit, and manager Andoni Iraola is riding high after receiving the Manager of the Month award following a string of impressive results.
The Cherries are comfortably in mid-table – an excellent achievement – and so have no real pressure on this game. As we’ve seen before though, this can lead to a team being more dangerous as they play with fewer inhibitions, but also allow the opposition to create more.
Form Guide
Manchester United Premier League form: DLDWLL
Manchester United (all competitions): DLDWWL
Bournemouth Premier League form: LWWWDW
Bournemouth form (all competitions): LWWWDW
Prediction
United have more to play for than Bournemouth, who essentially have a free hit at taking a big scalp.
Aside from their recent late defeat at Luton – who are fighting for their lives – the Cherries have been in excellent form, and they have a great manager. They will be buoyed by the 3-0 humbling they dished out to us at Old Trafford too.
We expect a fairly open game with chances and goals, but expect United to eventually come out on top
Manchester United 3-1 Bournemouth
