Manchester United and Bournemouth will be looking to build on their midweek victories in the Premier League when they square off at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.
The Cherries will be seeking revenge against the Red Devils after they lost both home and away fixtures to Erik ten Hag's side last season by an aggregate score of 4-0.
Match preview
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Following two bitterly disappointing results against Galatasaray and Newcastle United over a four-day period, losing 1-0 to the latter last weekend, Erik ten Hag calmed "crisis" talks by successfully steering his side to a 2-1 home victory over Chelsea on Wednesday.
The contest was goalless when Bruno Fernandes missed a first-half penalty, but the United skipper's blushes were spared thanks to a brace from Scott McTominay, who netted either side of a Cole Palmer equaliser to propel the Red Devils to a much-needed three points.
McTominay has now scored more league goals (six) than all of United's forwards combined (four) so far this season, and the Scotsman's heroics helped Ten Hag's side climb back up to sixth place in the Premier League table as well as move to within three points of fourth-placed Manchester City, who lost 1-0 at third-placed Aston Villa on Wednesday.
The prospect of drawing level on points with the Citizens before they face Luton Town on Sunday is sure to motivate Man United, who will hope to build on their midweek success by claiming another morale-boosting win over Bournemouth before preparing for a pivotal Champions League tie with Bayern Munich next week and then a challenging top-flight clash at Liverpool.
Man United boast a strong home record against Bournemouth which bodes well ahead of Saturday's fixture, as they have never lost any of their previous 10 meetings with the Cherries at Old Trafford, winning nine and drawing just one – only against Reading (12) have the Red Devils played more home matches against an opponents without losing.
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Since suffering a heavy 6-1 defeat to Manchester City in their last visit to the North West, Bournemouth have admirably accumulated 10 points from their last 12 available, beating Newcastle United, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace in the process.
Goals either side of half time from Marcos Senesi and Kieffer Moore helped the Cherries claim a 2-0 away victory over the Eagles on Wednesday night, and as a result have climbed up to 15th in the table, crucially sitting nine points clear of the relegation zone at the time of writing.
Andoni Iraola initially endured a difficult start to life at Bournemouth, but his players are beginning to adapt to his attack-minded philosophy and they will be keen to preserve their positive run of form during their next four fixtures against Man United, Luton, Nottingham Forest and Fulham.
Bournemouth won their first-ever Premier League meeting against Man United by a 2-1 scoreline back in December 2015, but they have since picked up just four points across their last 11 encounters with the Red Devils, conceding 25 goals in the process.
However, the Cherries have made notable improvements against the top sides in the division in recent months, as they have won three of their last six Premier League games against teams who finished in the top four the previous campaign, beating Liverpool (1-0 at home) in March, Tottenham Hotspur (3-2 away) in April and Newcastle United (2-0 at home) in November, so they cannot be taken lightly by the Red Devils on Saturday.
Team News
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Man United's Victor Lindelof (unspecified), Casemiro (hamstring), Lisandro Martinez (foot), Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen (both knee) and Jadon Sancho (disciplinary) are all unavailable for selection, while Mason Mount has missed the last four matches with a calf issue and remains a doubt.
Marcus Rashford, who was dropped to the substitutes' bench in midweek, missed training on Friday due to illness and has emerged as a doubt, but Amad Diallo has returned to first-team training this week following a lengthy spell out with a knee injury, and the youngster could be named in the matchday squad this weekend.
Raphael Varane is available for selection after missing the win over Chelsea with a "sore back", and the Frenchman will battle with Jonny Evans and Luke Shaw for a start in central defence alongside November's Premier League Player of the Month Harry Maguire.
As for Bournemouth, Lloyd Kelly, Tyler Adams, Max Aarons (all thigh), Alex Scott (knee), Ryan Fredericks (calf), Emiliano Marcondes (foot) and Darren Randolph (illness) all remain in the treatment room.
Ryan Christie and Lewis Cook have formed a strong partnership in centre-midfield in recent weeks and the duo should retain their places in the first XI, while Billing will be pushing to start in the number 10 role after scoring as a substitute in midweek.
Antoine Semenyo and Dominic Solanke are both expected to start again in the final third, but a place on the left flank is up for grabs with Marcus Tavernier and Dango Ouattara set to battle with Luis Sinisterra, who started against Palace, for a place in Iraola's lineup.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; Dalot, Maguire, Shaw, Reguilon; McTominay, Mainoo; Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Neto; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Semenyo, Kluivert, Tavernier; Solanke
We say: Manchester United 2-1 Bournemouth
Amid talk of pressure mounting on Erik ten Hag, Man United have won six of their last eight Premier League fixtures to edge closer to the top four, and they will be confident of securing three more points against a Bournemouth outfit whom they have had plenty of joy against over the years.
The Cherries themselves are enjoying a sweet run of form, and while they will fancy their chances of breaching a United backline that has conceded in nine of their last 13 games, we believe that the Red Devils will find a way to come out on top at Old Trafford.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
