Games are coming thick and fast as they always do this time of year. Here comes another chance for United to get a vital three points. On 3rd January, Old Trafford host Wolves in the Premier League, let’s have a look at what we might expect to see.
Opposition
Wolves come into this game off the back of two postponed fixtures. So there could be an element of lacking match sharpness as we saw from United after their long absence. Their form prior to this can best be described as mixed. In their last 6 games, they have won 1, drawn 3 and lost 2. In the league overall they have played 18, won 7, drawn 4 and lost 7. This puts them in 8th place and only 6 points behind Manchester United.
Since the arrival of Bruno Lage, Wolves have stuck with the 3-4-3 formation and it has served them well in keeping things defensively solid and making it hard for teams to break them down. Jose Sá will no doubt retain his place in goal. With the three centre-backs being Kilman, Coady and Saïss. Neves and Moutinho as the two central midfielders. And then Semedo and Marçal providing the width. As a front three we will most likely see Traoré, Jiménez and Trincão.
Manchester United
United come into this game after a relatively comfortable win over Burnley. Hopefully the players can build on that performance and show us what they are capable of. I don’t expect to see as many goals as we did against Burnley. Wolves are a much tighter team with a well drilled defence. They are very hard to score against. Even Liverpool and Man City only beat them by one goal to nil.
In terms of the lineup Ralf will no doubt stick with the 4-2-2-2 formation starting with David de Gea in net. At left-back Luke Shaw looked a lot better against Burnley and deserves another start. I can’t see him dropping Maguire, as much as some might want him to. And I think Varane will play alongside him. I think Dalot will feature at right-back. Although I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Aaron Wan-Bissaka play to try and nullify the threat of Adama Traoré.
In midfield, I can’t see Matic playing two games this close together and Donny van de Beek didn’t feature against Burnley so I can’t see him getting a start now. So Fred and McTominay will most likely be the pairing here. I think Jadon Sancho has been looking brilliant lately and will be vital to breaking down this Wolves defence. Bruno Fernandes could come back into the side. And I think Cavani will be rested, so we could see Ronaldo and Rashford up top.
I think this should be enough to beat Wolves. If we can keep them away from the goals at our end then I think we stand a good chance with the attacking talent we possess to win the game. I don’t see it being a high-scoring game. And so I am going to predict a 1-0 United win. It is going to be really tough and could be a pretty grim game to watch. Hopefully we can get the job done and walk away with a much needed three points.
