Manchester United host Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday knowing they need to win to propel themselves into the top half of the table.
The Red Devils have been putting in some positive performances under Ruben Amorim, including a 2-1 win over Man City, but they are conceding too many goals which resulted in their 4-3 loss to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on Thursday.
Marcus Rashford has been exiled from Amorim’s last two squads and seems on the verge of an exit from club though the manager has left the door open for him to regain his place in the team.
As for Bournemouth, the Cherries are flying high with three wins and a draw from their last four matches and will be confident about overcoming an indifferent United side today.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game:
When is Man Utd vs Bournemouth?
Manchester United vs Bournemouth kicks off at 2pm on Sunday 22 December at Old Trafford in Manchester.
Why is the game not on tv?
The match will not be broadcast live in the UK. The encounter was originally scheduled for 3pm on Saturday, December 21 but it was moved due to Manchester United reaching the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with Sky Sports showing Fulham vs Southampton at 2pm instead. Free match highlights will be shown on Match of the Day 2 at 10.30pm on BBC One.
Team news
Marcus Rashford finds himself on the outskirts of Ruben Amorim’s squad and has revealed his is open to leaving the club meaning it seems unlikely he would feature today. Elsewhere, both Luke Shaw and Mason Mount are expected to miss the game through injury and Matthijs de Ligt looks like a slight doubt after missing the Carabao Cup loss at Tottenham due to illness.
Bournemouth are missing Marcus Tavernier and Luis Sinisterra who are both out for a few weeks with muscle injuries. Tyler Adams is fit again after a long-term back issue but lacks match fitness and could find himself on the bench again. Ronald Araujo, Marcos Senesi, and Alex Scott are all out with respective hamstring, muscle and knee injuries.
Predicted line-ups
Man Utd XI: Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Fernandes, Ugarte, Dalot; Amad, Garnacho; Hojlund
Bournemouth XI: Arrizabalaga; Smith, Zabaryni, Huijsen, Kerkez; Christie, Cook; Semenyo, Kluivert, Ouattara; Evanilson
Odds
Man Utd win 8/11
Draw 11/5
Bournemouth win 11/4
The Independent vets betting sites for useability, security and responsible gambling tools. You can claim free bets here to use across a range of sports. Please read the terms.
Prediction
Manchester United will look to kick on in the league having been dumped out of the Carabao Cup during the week. They are likely to utilise home advantage but Bournemouth will not be pushovers and the game should be closer than expected.
Man Utd 2-1 Bournemouth.
We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.