Manchester United host a Bournemouth side slipping ever deeper into the relegation mire this Saturday.
Bournemouth's 1-0 win in the reverse fixture back in November actually saw Eddie Howe's side leapfrog their illustrious opponents to seventh in the Premier League table at the time, three points ahead of a struggling United.
Fast forward eight months, the season is still going on and Bournemouth have plummeted down the standings, going into the contest sitting in 19th, 25 points behind their fifth-placed, Champions League-aspiring hosts.
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? Saturday 4 July
What Time Is Kick Off? 15:00 (BST)
Where Is it Played? Old Trafford
TV Channel/Live Stream? BT Sport 1 (UK), fuboTV (US)
Referee? Mike Dean
Team News
Manchester United's long-term absentees Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones could return to the squad for the upcoming fixture but there are hardly any players who have a chance of penetrating the starting XI which so brutally dismantled Brighton on Tuesday evening.
Bournemouth will be without top scorer Callum Wilson as he serves the second half of a two-game ban for ten yellow cards this season - although the fact that their most prolific forward has fewer goals than bookings points towards the Cherries' problems.
The matchwinner in the reverse fixture, former Manchester United player Joshua King returned against Newcastle in midweek after an ankle injury, but mustered just a single shot in the 4-1 drubbing dished out by the Magpies.
Predicted Lineup
Manchester United: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelöf, Maguire, Shaw; Matic, Pogba; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial.
Bournemouth: Ramsdale; Stacey, S. Cook, Ake, A. Smith; H. Wilson, Billing, Lerma, Stanislas; Brooks, King.
Recent Form
C L I N I C A L ?@MUFC @MasonGreenwood pic.twitter.com/CgtEKl1ZC7
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 1, 2020
Since a dismal 2-0 home defeat to Burnley in late January, Manchester United have gone on a run of 15 games without defeat across all competitions, keeping a clean sheet in 11 of those matches.
Bruno Fernandes' seismic impact on the squad has been plain for all to see, and with Paul Pogba gelling well alongside the Portuguese playmaker - not to mention Mason Greenwood's breakthrough campaign - the future looks rosy for the Red Devils.
The Cherries, on the other hand, seem to inch closer to the second tier with every, inevitably unsuccessful, outing. Since that win against United in November, Howe has overseen 16 losses from 21 Premier League games.
Here's how both teams have fared in their last five fixtures.
Manchester United
Brighton 0-3 Manchester United (30/6)
Norwich 1-2 Manchester United (27/6)
Manchester United 3-0 Sheffield United (24/6)
Tottenham 1-1 Manchester United (19/6)
LASK 0-5 Manchester United (12/3)
Bournemouth
Bournemouth 1-4 Newcastle United (1/7)
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Bournemouth (24/6)
Crystal Palace 0-2 Bournemouth (20/6)
Liverpool 2-1 Bournemouth (7/3)
Bournemouth 2-2 Chelsea (29/2)
Prediction
Earlier in the season Manchester United began to develop a reputation for performing well against the so-called 'big teams' - as they could exploit the space in behind with the pace of their jet-heeled front line on the counter - but struggled against sides below them in the table.
However, the mesmeric talents of Fernandes and a fully fit Pogba, have gone some way to dispelling this trend, with matches against three of the current bottom five on the horizon adding further opportunities for wins.
These teams are at the opposite ends of the confidence spectrum and, aside from the flashes of promise David Brooks has offered since the return, Bournemouth present a rather toothless threat to Manchester United's unbeaten run.
Prediction: Manchester United 3-0 Bournemouth
Source: 90min
