MANCHESTER UNITED travel to Wolves looking to extend their three-match unbeaten run – but the game could be overshadowed by Marcus Rashford’s situation.
The England star was left out of the squad to face Newport in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday after partying in Belfast last week.
Rashford missed training following a 12-hour tequila bender and has been fined £650,000 by the club – two weeks wages.
Erik ten Hag addressed the matter stating it is an “internal matter” he will “deal with”.
Rashford, 26, is available but might not feature at Molineux, with Alejandro Garnacho and Antony starting instead of the forward against Newport.
United came out on top when these two sides met on the opening weekend of the season, though the Red Devils had the officials to thank after they failed to award Wolves a stoppage time penalty that would have given them to opportunity to level the match at 1-1.
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Meanwhile Wolves have faced an eventful period themselves following the outbreak of fighting in the Black Country derby clash with West Brom in the FA Cup.
Gary O’Neil’s side came out on top in that encounter and will be hoping to land another blow on a big six club, having beaten Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea this season.
Recent form
United are unbeaten in three games in 2024 but have played only one Premier League game – a 2-2 draw with Tottenham.
But the Red Devils have still struggled for consistency with just one win in their last six Premier League games.
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Wolves have faired a lot better of late with O’Neil’s team beginning to find their stride.
They oversaw a difficult derby challenge with ease to extend their unbeaten run to seven games.
Wolves have won five of those matches and have not lost at home since September.
Team News
Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Casemiro all returned for United against Newport.
But Aaron Wan-Bissaka is a doubt after missing that clash, with Mason Mount, Victor Lindelof and Tyrell Malacia still missing.
The biggest question mark is whether Rashford will feature, while Andre Onana is away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
For Wolves Joao Gomes is suspended while Pablo Sarabia and Hwang Hee-chan are sidelined through injury.
Ones to watch
Alejandro Garnacho has caught the eye in recent matces and his ability to stretch the Wolves defence will likely be United’s greatest source of joy in attack.
But keeping Wolves at bay is vital and Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro will be key for the visitors.
Meanwhile the hosts’ success is down to the team being greater than the sum of its parts.
Gomes is a miss but Matheus Cunha is finding form in front of goal and proved a thorn in United’s side when the teams met at Old Trafford.
SunSport prediction
Wolves’ home form speaks for itself and with plenty going on behind the scenes to distract United, they could come undone once again. 2-0 to Wolves.
When is Wolves vs Man Utd?
- Wolves’ clash with United will take place on Thursday, February 1.
- The game will be held at Molineux.
- Wolves vs Man Utd will kick off at a later start time of 8.15pm GMT.
What channel is it on and can it be live streamed?
- Wolves vs Man Utd will be shown live on TNT Sports 1 in the UK.
- You can live stream the action from the Discovery+ app, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
- Alternatively, you can keep up to date with all the action by following SunSport’s live blog.
Odds
- Wolves – 7/4
- Draw – 12/5
- Man Utd – 7/5
- BTTS – YES – 8/15
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*Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes and correct at time of publication.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
