Manchester United-Bournemouth is a match for the nineteenth day of the Premier League and is played on Tuesday at 21:00: predictions
The Ronaldo affair – who meanwhile is preparing to winter in Saudi Arabia as the highest-paid sportsman on the planet – is long gone. A faded memory for a Manchester United side that got off to a great start after the World Cup break: three wins in a row between the League Cup and Premier League, scoring five goals and conceding none.
Of course, the opponents they faced were not irresistible (Burnley, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton), but one of the main problems of Erik ten Hag’s team at the beginning of the season was just too many missteps with the so-called small-medium teams. Last Saturday it was Marcus Rashford who removed the Dutch coach’s chestnuts from the fire, despite coming on at half-time for disciplinary reasons. The young English striker – punished for arriving late at a meeting – managed to unblock a rough game with one of his plays, also due to the excellent defensive performance of Julen Lopetegui’s ‘new’ Wolves, who until ten minutes from the end had held their own against the Red Devils. The calendar has so far been favourable to United, and with three consecutive successes ten Hag and his team have achieved their objective of fourth place: they have overtaken Tottenham, who collapsed at home against Aston Villa, and even nipped Newcastle two points behind.
Great chance for the Red Devils
Bearing in mind that the Magpies will be visiting unbeaten leaders Arsenal in front of their home crowd – it is easy to see how a win against newly promoted Bournemouth would be a great opportunity to move up a few places.
Bournemouth’s Tavernier
Gary O’Neil’s Cherries had ended the first half of the season with a league and cup double success against Everton. But the break must not have done them any good when you consider that three consecutive defeats, including the League Cup defeat against Newcastle, have come since they started playing again after the World Cup. After the predictable knockout at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea (2-0), Bournemouth extended their losing streak by losing with the same result against Crystal Palace, who were certainly not going through an idyllic moment.
The Prediction
A match, the one at Old Trafford, that shouldn’t hold any particular surprises. Manchester United are confident, having won five out of seven matches at home, and are likely to extend their positive streak against Bournemouth, who have shown that they are particularly susceptible in big matches. The Red Devils are also likely to keep their goals unbeaten.
The Manchester United-Bournemouth matchday squad
- MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Shaw; Eriksen, Casemiro; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Martial.
- BOURNEMOUTH (5-3-2): Travers; Anthony, Smith, Senesi, Kelly, Zemura; Cook, Lerma, Dembelé; Solanke, Moore.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-0
