MANCHESTER UNITED return to Premier League action on Saturday when they host Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils clinched a crucial 2-1 win over Chelsea on Wednesday thanks to a brace from Scott McTominay.
The Scotland midfielder fired Erik ten Hag’s side ahead shortly after Bruno Fernandes missed an early penalty.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer then equalised, but McTominay popped up with the winner with just over 20 minutes to play.
It was a huge boost for the Red Devils as they now sit sixth in the Premier League table – just three points behind rivals Manchester City.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth earned a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
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The Cherries are now 15th in the Premier League table, comfortably above the relegation zone.
But Andoni Iraola’s side will be confident travelling to Old Trafford amid their run of good form.
Team News
Raphael Varane could remain sidelined following his absence from United’s match day squad on Wednesday.
The Frenchman was ruled out of the match against Chelsea due to a “sore back”.
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Mason Mount has been struggling with a calf issue in recent weeks, but there is a small chance he could return on Saturday.
Casemiro remains absent with a hamstring injury sustained last month, while Christian Eriksen is also unavailable with a knee issue.
Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez are not expected to return to action until the new year.
Amad Diallo’s return date is also unknown.
As for Bournemouth, Max Aarons, Tyler Adams, Alex Scott, and Ryan Fredericks are all recovering from injury.
What is their form like?
Man Utd gave fans something to smile about when they defeated Chelsea on Wednesday.
But just four days prior it was all doom and gloom following a dismal performance against Newcastle.
Nevertheless, Man Utd have picked up 12 points out of a possible 15 in their last five games.
And that win over the Blues would have surely given Ten Hag’s side a big boost in confidence.
Bournemouth are also enjoying an excellent run of form.
The Cherries are undefeated in the Premier League since the start of November.
Ones to watch
Scott McTominay has popped up in some crucial moments for Man Utd so far this season.
He scored two injury time goals to complete an epic comeback against Brentford in October.
And he scored both goals in United’s 2-1 win over Chelsea this week.
The Scotland star was also handed the Player of the Match award, so he will certainly be high in confidence.
As for Bournemouth, Dominic Solanke is one to watch.
The striker has arguably been Bournemouth’s biggest threat so far this season with seven goals in 15 Premier League appearances.
What has been said?
Speaking after United’s win over Chelsea, Ten Hag said: “We are in a journey and we keep calm. We look into the process, where we know where we have to build, we know where we have to build on.
“So yeah, as I said, we are going in the right direction. We don’t get distracted from criticism around us, but we are ourselves. We are very critical on ourselves.
“We know we are not quick [to be] satisfied and happy and we always want to do better.
“And if we do things not good, we want to put things right and we want to keep going in this process, and we want to keep going in this progress, because we know the season is long.
“We have to improve a lot if you want to be successful. But this team is capable to be successful.”
SunSport’s score prediction
Man Utd 2-0 Bournemouth
When is Man Utd vs Bournemouth?
- Man Utd vs Bournemouth will take place on Saturday, December 9th.
- Kick off will be at 3pm GMT.
- Old Trafford will host.
What TV channel is Man Utd vs Bournemouth on and can it be live streamed?
- Man Utd vs Bournemouth will not be broadcast on live TV in the UK.
- This is due to the 3pm blackout rule.
- However, you can keep up to date with all the action from Old Trafford by following SunSport’s live blog.
What are the odds?
Match result
- Man Utd – 1/2
- Draw – 7/2
- Bournemouth – 9/2
*Odds courtesy of Paddy Power and are correct at the time of publication.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
