Manchester United Football Club News

• Nickname:Red Devils
• Founded:1878
• Manager:Sir Alex Ferguson

• Ground:Old Trafford
• Capacity:68,174

Preview: Man Utd v Wolverhampton

14 Dec 2009 - 10:36:03

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Manchester United welcome Premier League strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers to Old Trafford on Tuesday evening looking to get back to winning ways after a disappointing defeat on Saturday.

United suffered an unexpected setback against Aston Villa as they missed a perfect opportunity to go level on points with leaders Chelsea, who had only managed to draw with Everton earlier in the day.

Sir Alex Ferguson knows his side must grab three points when Wolves come to town but Mick McCarthy's side will be high on confidence after their excellent 1-0 triumph at Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend.

Kevin Doyle was the hero after glancing home in the third minute in the capital and, after a resolute defensive performance, the Molineux-based side held on for a vital success.

The reigning champions' defence is still in tatters with a whole host of big-name stars remaining in the treatment room.

Jonny Evans and Rio Ferdinand (both calf), Rafael (ankle), Gary Neville (groin) and John O'Shea (thigh) are the absent defenders who continue to give Ferguson reason for concern.

He is also still without Owen Hargreaves and Edwin Van Der Sar, both of whom have knee complaints.

The European giants are likely to play with another patched up back-line that has consisted of Darren Fletcher, Darron Gibson and Michael Carrick in recent times although the return of Nemanja Vidic and Wes Brown has aided their plight.

McCarthy must select his squad without three regular first-team players.

Andy Keogh and Michael Kightly (both ankle) and Matt Murray (knee) will miss out with Ronald Zubar (thigh) facing a race against time to feature.

The two sides have met already at Old Trafford this season when they clashed in the third round of the Carling Cup.

A single Danny Welbeck strike was enough for United to grab a victory although their task was made more difficult when young defender Fabio saw red early in the first half after wiping out Michael Kightly as he went clear on goal.