While the mighty Man Utd have had a difficult last few weeks they still sit fourth in the league and a big favourites to crush teams like AFCB who sit down in the bottom half of the table. Their inability to shoot on target is now giving plenty of scope for the media to get their teeth into Luis vaan Gaal's side and the pressure on players like Martial, Lingard and Mata will only grow if they draw another blank down on the south coast.
In some ways the Cherries might have been expecting for this to be one of the hardest games of the season last August when the fixture list was first seen. I expect that it will indeed be viewed as such by Eddie Howe and his men, but it is not the Man Utd of old where the team list would frighten any opponent before a ball was even kicked. Now Luis vaan Gall says Manu Utd are no longer the team that is expected to win every game "that was the past," he said this week in his press conference - well I do hope so when it comes to today. I think the criticism is over the top on Man Utd but I hope their fans have even more to moan about after today's game. But still £250 million is a lot of money to spend and look at the players they have sold on.
They still have their list of experienced internationals in the squad like Schweinsteiger (out for this game and the next two), Blind, Smalling (injured), Mata and Fellaini, to name a few and Wayne Rooney who is also not available for selection this time. Luis van Gaal will not be hoping to have to use any excuses though if they have another dismal display. But for all there woes Man Utd have a goal difference of 10 that is only headed by Leicester City, Arsenal and Man City.
Goal scoring has really been a big stumbling block for the Red Devils and with five goals in their last six games, it is understandable that some of the old faithful are shaking their heads at the stats last Premier League match that read 21 shots and one on target for vaan Gaal's side. Still they are seven games unbeaten since the 3-0 drubbing by Arsenal. One win in their last five away games though, is that the record of potential champions? With such an open Premier League though, Man Utd have every chance of making it theirs and it is games like these that will decide when there trophy is going next May. Keep losing these kinds of games though and they could find themselves outside the top four fairly quickly.
Away from home they do tend to pick up a few draws and the secret of that is that they don't concede hardly at all. It's de Gea that is the rock that AFCB will have trouble with if their shooting is not spot on. But I wonder what odds you could have got a week ago on an AFCB double to beat Chelsea and Man Utd?
UTIAD! Enjoy the game tonight. You can still send in your score predictions on Twitter to @peterbell19
Check out my interview with United Pages ahead of today's game.
Man Utd Away Form
LDDWD
AFCB Home Form
WDLLD
Possible AFCB team: (4-5-1) Boruc (GK), Smith (RD), Francis (CD), Cook (CD), Daniels (LD), Ritchie (RM), Arter (CM), Gosling (CM), Surman (CM), Stanislas (LM), King (FW)
Cherries' Bench: Allsop (GK), Bennett (LD), Distin (CD), Tomlin (CM/FW), MacDonald (CM), Pugh (LM), Murray (FW)
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| Josh King has more reason than most to play well against Utd having been on their books for four years. |
They still have their list of experienced internationals in the squad like Schweinsteiger (out for this game and the next two), Blind, Smalling (injured), Mata and Fellaini, to name a few and Wayne Rooney who is also not available for selection this time. Luis van Gaal will not be hoping to have to use any excuses though if they have another dismal display. But for all there woes Man Utd have a goal difference of 10 that is only headed by Leicester City, Arsenal and Man City.
Goal scoring has really been a big stumbling block for the Red Devils and with five goals in their last six games, it is understandable that some of the old faithful are shaking their heads at the stats last Premier League match that read 21 shots and one on target for vaan Gaal's side. Still they are seven games unbeaten since the 3-0 drubbing by Arsenal. One win in their last five away games though, is that the record of potential champions? With such an open Premier League though, Man Utd have every chance of making it theirs and it is games like these that will decide when there trophy is going next May. Keep losing these kinds of games though and they could find themselves outside the top four fairly quickly.
Away from home they do tend to pick up a few draws and the secret of that is that they don't concede hardly at all. It's de Gea that is the rock that AFCB will have trouble with if their shooting is not spot on. But I wonder what odds you could have got a week ago on an AFCB double to beat Chelsea and Man Utd?
UTIAD! Enjoy the game tonight. You can still send in your score predictions on Twitter to @peterbell19
Check out my interview with United Pages ahead of today's game.
Man Utd Away Form
LDDWD
AFCB Home Form
WDLLD
Possible AFCB team: (4-5-1) Boruc (GK), Smith (RD), Francis (CD), Cook (CD), Daniels (LD), Ritchie (RM), Arter (CM), Gosling (CM), Surman (CM), Stanislas (LM), King (FW)
Cherries' Bench: Allsop (GK), Bennett (LD), Distin (CD), Tomlin (CM/FW), MacDonald (CM), Pugh (LM), Murray (FW)
Man Utd
Chris Smalling and Matteo Darmien are injury worries for Utd.
Man Utd team from: De Gea, Romero, Johnstone, Valdes, Darmian, Jones, McNair, Smalling, Varela, Blind, Carrick, Fellaini, Herrera, Lingard, Mata, Pereira, Schneiderlin, Young, Depay, Martial, Rooney.
Likely Man Utd Line up as predicted by Sky Sports.
Man Utd team from: De Gea, Romero, Johnstone, Valdes, Darmian, Jones, McNair, Smalling, Varela, Blind, Carrick, Fellaini, Herrera, Lingard, Mata, Pereira, Schneiderlin, Young, Depay, Martial, Rooney.
Likely Man Utd Line up as predicted by Sky Sports.
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