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Attendance: 10,669
Bournemouth logo
Premier League | Gameweek 11
Nov 2, 2019 at 12.30pm UK
 
Manchester United logo

1-0

King (45')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Preview: Bournemouth vs. Manchester United - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Bournemouth's clash with Manchester United in the Premier League, including a prediction, team news and predicted lineups.

Manchester United will look to make it four away wins on the bounce when they travel south to face Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men have enjoyed a desperately needed resurgence since the international break, while Bournemouth will be hoping to rediscover some goalscoring form in front of their own supporters.


Bournemouth

Harry Wilson celebrates scoring with Bournemouth teammates on September 20, 2019© Reuters

Eddie Howe will be pleased with the position that Bournemouth find themselves in after 10 Premier League games, with the Cherries sitting in ninth.

The hardest thing for any recently-promoted side is to develop a base level of performance that can be exhibited every week, and this is exactly what Bournemouth have slowly but surely done since 2015.

Those teams who fall by the wayside - from Blackpool in 2011 to Fulham last season - can often pull excellent performances out of the bag but ultimately possess an acute air of unpredictability about them, which often leads to the snowballing of bad results.

Through a ruthless and consistent application of an adapted 4-4-2 system, drilled into a core group of players over several years, Howe can count on his team to give a certain level of performance that will, at the very least, take them to 40 points over 38 games.

This attribute becomes especially valuable when Bournemouth enter a fallow period in front of goal as they have done over the last few weeks, with the Premier League side failing to score in any of their last three games - the previous two being a pair of goalless draws.

Even if things are not working going forward, this does not translate to Bournemouth players rushing their natural game in an attempt to force the issue, which often leads to goals being conceded. This is the mark of a team that belongs in the top flight.

Indeed, while Bournemouth failed to pose much of a threat in recent matches against Norwich City and Watford, they will back themselves to stay in the game against United and take advantage of any dithering on the part of the visitors.

They will not, unlike Norwich on Sunday, give the Red Devils any easy openings, meaning that United will know that they must have perfect concentration if they are to avoid becoming the latest big team to be foiled by Bournemouth's inexhaustible discipline.

Recent form: WWDLDD
Recent form (all competitions): WLDLDD


Manchester United

Manchester United's Anthony Martial celebrates scoring their third goal with team mates on October 27, 2019© Reuters

Having failed to win an away game in almost half a year, United now have three wins on the road in the space of six days.

Ahead of the October international break, United had won just two games in normal time since April and were two points above the relegation zone.

However, a stellar performance during a 1-1 draw with Liverpool - the first time Jurgen Klopp's side failed to win a league game in 18 outings - has served as the catalyst for a resurgence in attitude and style on the pitch.

Many accused Solskjaer of lacking the appropriate tactical acumen to cope with a role of such high magnitude, often attacking the Norwegian's rigid 4-2-3-1 system that seemed to take his attacking players nowhere.

His response since that 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United, however, serves as a strong sign of hope; the switch to a 3-4-1-2 system against Liverpool, for example, prevented the league leaders from accessing their usual passing lanes and left them looking rather lost until the final 20 minutes.

Moreover, the decision to adopt a more fluid 4-2-3-1 against Norwich, with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial interchanging up front, made a big difference to United's attacking potential.

Against Chelsea on Wednesday night, moreover, the home side had started to dominate proceedings after Michy Batshuayi's second half equaliser, prompting Solskjaer to change to four at the back and introduce two energetic substitutes in Andreas Pereira and Martial - a move that changed the shape and feel of the game, laying the platform for Rashford to score the winner through a sublime free kick.

That said, United will know that the task they face on Saturday is a completely different one against a Bournemouth side that will not give them one inch to play with.

Recent form: WLDLDW
Recent form (all competitions): DLDWWW


Team News

Manchester United's Paul Pogba reacts after his penalty is saved by Wolverhampton Wanderers' Rui Patricio on August 19, 2019© Reuters

Howe will not expect any injured players to return in time for this game, with talented youngster David Brooks the closest to a return - most likely for the meeting with Newcastle United on November 9.

Dan Gosling faces another month on the sidelines due to a hip injury, while Charlie Daniels and Junior Stanislas are both unlikely to recover from knee injuries until the New Year.

United continue to be without Paul Pogba after it was confirmed last week that the Frenchman will be out until December due to a foot injury.

Rashford and Harry Maguire are minor doubts after the Chelsea game, although greater question marks loom over the fitness of Nemanja Matic and Luke Shaw.

Axel Tuanzebe and Diogo Dalot are both definitely out due to hip injuries; Eric Bailly and Timothy Fosu-Mensah are the two long-term absentees having undergone knee surgery earlier this year.

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; Smith, S. Cook, Ake, Rico; L. Cook, Billing, H. Wilson, Fraser; C. Wilson, King

Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Young; McTominay, Fred, Pereira; James, Martial, Rashford


Head To Head

Bournemouth announced themselves to the Premier League in December 2015 with a 2-1 win over United that included Stanislas scoring directly from a corner inside the opening two minutes.

Since then, however, United's record against the Cherries is impressive, winning six of their last seven games against Howe's men.

That said, United will be wary of how lucky they were to come away from the Vitality Stadium with a 2-1 win during the latter stages of Jose Mourinho's reign last season.

Following a period during which Bournemouth squandered numerous top chances, Rashford, the club's man of the moment, netted a 90th minute winner that felt somewhat undeserved. United will know that, this time around, they will need to perform with greater urgency.


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Bournemouth 1-2 Manchester United

United appear to have rediscovered a sense of goalscoring touch in recent weeks, with several players - like Scott McTominay and Pereira - coming into form at a crucial time. Bournemouth will make things difficult for the Red Devils but you suspect that the visitors, buoyed by the duo of Rashford and Martial, will find a way to secure a narrow win.



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