Bournemouth vs Man Utd tips and predictions: Leaky Reds to suffer latest setback
Erik ten Hag
Man Utd are running out of time to secure European football but we think Saturday evening's trip to Bournemouth will damage their prospects (1730 BST).
Bournemouth’s recent run of form means they can play freely when Manchester United visit the Vitality Stadium on Saturday evening.
Wins over Crystal Palace, Luton, Everton and Burnley catapulted them up the Premier League table to 12th place, where they’re 16 points clear of danger.
Not only are Erik ten Hag’s visitors not going to qualify for the Champions League, but they may be in danger of slipping to eighth and missing out on the Europa Conference League.
Six games are remaining and with the table taking shape, it brings into focus just how much of an underachievement this season has been.
Eleven of their 14 wins have come against teams in the bottom half of the table, and seven were against the bottom five.
Their only notable away result, a 2-1 win against Aston Villa at Villa Park, was a smash-and-grab on the back of a poor second-half performance.
It remains to be seen how the Cherries will finish the season now the pressure is off, but they’ve already beaten the Reds 3-0 this season.
Andoni Iraola’s side has avoided defeat in 15 of 20 since his system clicked, most of which came against top-six sides, and have played some dazzling football.
We think we’ll see the pressure difference reflected in the performance of these teams so it wouldn’t be a shock to see the hosts bag a few goals.
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Team news
Ryan Fredericks, Luis Sinisterra and Marcus Tavernier missed Bournemouth’s last game so we’ll have to wait for Iraola’s press conference for an update.
Chris Mepham, Tyler Adams and Antoine Semenyo are expected to have recovered from various setbacks.
Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, Tyrell Malacia, Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial are ruled out.
Raphael Varane, Jonny Evans and Marcus Rashford were absent as United trained on Thursday.
Key stats
- Bournemouth won 3-0 at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture
- Man City and Liverpool are the only teams to stop Bournemouth scoring in their previous 23 matches
- Man Utd have dropped points in seven of their last 10 away matches
- Man Utd have conceded two or more goals 11 times since Christmas
Suggested bets
Team with most bookings: Man Utd