MANCHESTER United’s Premier League 2023/24 opener sees them welcome Wolves to Old Trafford tonight.
The Red Devils had an indifferent pre-season having comfortably beat Community Shield winners Arsenal and French side Lens.
But in between those results, Erik ten Hag’s men lost THREE matches on the bounce.
However, playtime is over as United look to make a winning start to the new campaign and they’re out to prove a point.
The Manchester club looked much improved last term, but will be wanting to show they can mix it with the big boys once again and fight for the title.
They start the new season by hosting Wolves who are trying to steady the ship after Julen Lopetegui’s shock exit this week.
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The Midlands club have announced former Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil as the new manager at Molineux.
The 40-year-old will have the tough task of toppling Ten Hag’s team on Monday night as he tries to make the most of the infamous ‘new manager bounce’.
He’ll have plenty to worry about though with Wolves losing star man Ruben Neves to Al-Hilal this summer alongside a whole host of other players who have left the club during the window.
Man United on the other hand have made big investments as they try and improve on last season’s third place finish in the Premier League.
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Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund have all come through the doors at Old Trafford, although the latter won’t be available for Monday’s clash.
What is their form like?
Man United have been a mixed bag in pre-season, but will take confidence from their strong end to last term’s league campaign where they won four on the trot to secure Champions League football.
Wolves’ pre-season preparations on the other hand have been remarkably solid despite their managerial problems.
They are undefeated in all of their warm-up friendlies and even managed a shock 1-0 win over Portuguese giants Porto.
What is the team news and any injuries to worry about?
Erik ten Hag will be forced to start the 2023/24 campaign without Amad Diallo (knee), Kobbie Mainoo (ankle) and Tyrell Malacia (muscular).
Mega summer signing Hojlund is also unavailable having sustained a ‘small issue’ during his pre-season training with former side Atalanta.
However, Frenchman Anthony Martial should be ready to return following his muscular injury.
Meanwhile, it is all positive signs for Wolves boss Gary O’Neil as the quartet of Joao Gomes, Mario Lemina, Sasa Kalajdzic and Chiquinho should all be available for the tough test at Old Trafford.
Who will be the star men?
Marcus Rashford was Man Utd’s stand out player last season and it’d be no surprise if he was to be their star once again.
He scored 17 goals in the Premier League last term and you can expect him to bag on a regular basis again this season.
As for Wolves, they’re looking for a new star man after selling club captain Neves this summer.
Matheus Cunha has completed his permanent £44million move from Atletico Madrid after he spent last season on loan at Molineux.
New boss O’Neil will be hoping he can get the best of his megabucks forward if he’s to pull off a shock victory in his first game in charge.
What have the managers said?
Erik ten Hag has been raving about new signing Mason Mount ahead of what will likely be his competitive debut for the club.
He said in a recent interview: “I’m sure he will contribute to the success of United because he is a quality player.”
SunSport prediction
Manchester United will be looking to impress their home fans on the opening day against a Wolves team that will have barely had enough time for the dust of Julen Lopetegui’s departure to settle.
Gary O’Neil could find it too hard to organise his new squad in time to pull off a huge result and United should find themselves comfortable victors.
Prediction: Manchester United 2-0 Wolves
When is Man Utd vs Wolves?
- Manchester United’s opening Premier League fixture against Wolves will take place on Monday, August 14.
- It is scheduled to get underway at 8pm BST.
- Old Trafford in Manchester is the allocated arena for this huge match and it can host approximately 74,310 fans.
- Goals from Anthony Martial and Alejandro Garnacho saw the Red Devils run out 2-0 winners when the sides last met in May.
What TV channel is it on and can it be live streamed?
- Manchester United vs Wolves will be broadcast LIVE on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League in the UK.
- Coverage is scheduled to commence from 6:30pm BST on both channels – an hour and a half before kick-off.
- Fans can also stream the match through NOW TV.
- Alternatively, SunSport will have minute-by-minute coverage of the entire action including build-up and post-match reaction.
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Latest odds
- Man Utd to win – 1/3
- Draw – 4/1
- Wolves to win – 17/2
*Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes and are correct at the time of publication.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
