Manchester United will be looking to make it three wins from their first three matches under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when they host Bournemouth on Sunday.
The Red Devils have picked up six points from a possible six in the Norweigan’s first two matches in charge after beating Cardiff City 5-1 and Huddersfield Town 3-1 either side of Christmas.
Bournemouth come into this game after a 5-0 away defeat to Spurs in their most recent outing and, despite an impressive start to the season, the Cherries have won just two of their last nine Premier League matches.
The two sides are six points apart heading into this fixture. Another win here would see United crank up the pressure on those above them in the race for a top-four spot, whilst Bournemouth will be aiming to move back into the top half of the table sooner rather than later.
Read on for Man Utd vs Bournemouth live stream options, team news, predicted XIs, stats and TV channel info.
When is Man Utd vs Bournemouth?
Competition: Premier League
Venue: Old Trafford
Date: Sunday, 30 December
Kick-off: 4.30 PM GMT
Match preview
Manchester United fans will be anxious to see just how far can this side go under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer between now and the end of the season.
It’s all been plain sailing so far but there has been a definite improvement in the performance level, particularly in attack.
This is a United side that has been crying out for some consistency in selection for some time and it looks like Paul Pogba is going to be Solskjaer’s first name on the team sheet week in, week out.
The Frenchman fired in two excellent goals in the Red Devils’ win over Huddersfield on Boxing Day and is already looking a totally different player to the one that was struggling to get on the pitch under Jose Mourinho.
Bournemouth, though, are likely to provide the biggest challenge Solskjaer has faced since his arrival. They’re low on confidence at the moment but are in desperate need of a win and will be hoping to see out 2018 with a shock victory on Sunday.
Earlier this week, Eddie Howe’s side were rocked by the news that captain Simon Francis is unlikely to play again this season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament on Boxing Day.
They are already without England midfielder Lewis Cook after he suffered a similar injury earlier in December and it will be interesting to see if they are active in the upcoming January transfer window.
Where can I watch live?
Manchester United vs Bournemouth is available to watch live in the UK on BT Sport 1, channel 413 for Sky customers and channel 527 for Virgin Media users.
The game is available to watch on fuboTV for US-based viewers.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about fuboTV
Is Antonio Valencia still Manchester United’s captain?
There’s been much confusion surrounding the captaincy situation at Old Trafford in recent months, as permanent skipper Antonio Valencia barely featured under Jose Mourinho earlier this season.
The Ecuadorian wore the armband for the majority of the previous campaign and was announced as the official club captain when Michael Carrick retired and moved into a coaching role.
Valencia’s absence this season has led to questions as to whether he still retains those responsibilities, but Solskjaer has confirmed that the former Wigan Athletic man will skipper the side once he is fully fit again.
“He’s the captain. When he’s properly fit and playing he’ll wear the armband,” said Solskjaer.
“He’s going through a couple of tough sessions now to get him ready for the tough period coming up. There aren’t many better right-backs going forward with his abilities.”
What has happened to Bournemouth?
Eddie Howe’s side were enjoying their best-ever start to a Premier League season a couple of months ago, but things have been difficult for them in recent weeks.
It was their defeat to Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium in November that started off their poor run of form.
Since then they’ve been beaten by Newcastle, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Wolves and Spurs, while they were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Chelsea.
Season-ending injuries to Cook and Francis were significant blows for the Cherries, and star players Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson have been out of sorts in recent weeks.
Howe, though, insists his side can not afford to dwell on an unfortunate few weeks.
“As much as we want to win these games and perform in them, we have to take them in isolation,” he told reporters.
“I don’t think we can go too deep in ourselves. The next game is going to come round very quickly.
“We are in a key stage of the season and we have to make sure we keep our focus and not get too down on ourselves.”
Head-to-head
It’s no surprise to see that United boast the better head-to-head record between these two sides.
Their last meeting came just last month ago, when a late Marcus Rashford goal snatched a victory for Jose Mourinho and Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium.
Bournemouth haven’t managed to beat United since December 2015 and have only taken points off them in one of their last five meetings with the Red Devils.
Manchester United wins: 10 Draws: 3 Bournemouth wins: 2
Team news
United have been handed a fitness boost after Solskjaer confirmed that Romelu Lukaku, Anthony Martial and Alexis Sanchez are all back in training, but it remains to be seen whether they will be able to play any part on Sunday.
Ashley Young and Ander Herrera could return to the starting XI after being rested against Huddersfield.
The United boss also claimed Marcos Rojo and Scott McTominay could be back in action sooner rather than later, but Chris Smalling is unlikely to return to action until mid-January at the earliest.
For Bournemouth, news that captain Simon Francis has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament comes as a huge blow.
They are now extremely short at right-back, with Adam Smith also ruled out of action for the foreseeable future.
That seems to be the Cherries’ only fresh injury issue, with Smith, Dan Gosling and Lewis Cook all still sidelined.
Predicted Manchester United XI: De Gea; Young, Jones, Lindelof, Shaw; Matic, Herrera, Pogba; Lingard, Martial, Rashford.
Predicted Bournemouth XI: Begovic; Rico, Cook, Ake, Daniels; Brooks, Lerma, Surman, Fraser; King; Wilson.
Squawka predictions
Given United’s momentum, we think they’ll take some stopping here and we’re not sure a downbeat Bournemouth side are the team that will stop them in their tracks.
Man Utd 3-0 Bournemouth.
Man Utd v Bournemouth betting tips from FansBet
Click here for Man Utd v Bournemouth tips and enhanced odds from FansBet.
Two wins from two, a firing Paul Pogba and a team that seems to have started playing for their manager. Ole Gunnar Solskjær has certainly galvanised United and the Old Trafford faithful with his team now putting together a charge for a top-four place. Bournemouth won’t be relishing facing this rejuvenated United team, especially with their own confidence taking a blow at the hands of Spurs last time out. Form Labs return with their betting preview and tips for the game and as ever we have plenty of additional value with our selection of enhanced odds.
Read on HERE.
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