The historic Manchester giant appears to be going through yet another vicious cycle following Alex Ferguson’s retirement. Carrick, who took over in the winter as caretaker manager, made an excellent start, guiding the team to a third-place finish in the spring. But this season has brought the club’s worst result in 40 years in the Premier League. They also managed only a draw against Leeds in the latest round. In the League Cup, they were knocked out after a 3-2 defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford. Their only convincing start came in the Champions League, where they opened with a dominant win over Sabah. They then lost 2-0 to the far more experienced Atletico while down to ten men. Against another debutant, Como, they suffered an outright 4-1 thrashing.
The club from the Vitality Stadium finished sixth in the spring with 57 points, after which Iraola moved to Liverpool at the peak of his success. Without him, the English side made their debut in the Europa League league phase with an away win over Real Sociedad. Then, at home against Sturm, they produced an emphatic 3-0 victory. They repeated that scoreline against Milan on Thursday. Even earlier, they had thrashed Lincoln City 4-0 in the League Cup. However, their Premier League campaign began disastrously, without a win. A week ago, they finally beat Sunderland, and did so by a 2-0 scoreline.
Manchester United score 1.43 goals per game and concede exactly the same number. The figures are noticeably worse for their upcoming visitors: 1.29 goals scored and 1.86 conceded.
Previous matches: Manchester United vs Bournemouth
Bournemouth have gone unbeaten against this opponent in their last six competitive meetings: two wins and four draws, including three consecutive stalemates.
The hosts are expected to win, but the visitors are clearly ready to fight for a draw. The Both Teams to Score market looks appealing (odds – 1.6).
Manchester United vs Bournemouth: key statistics and trends
Manchester United have won one of their last nine matches
71% of Manchester United matches end with both teams scoring, while the average total goals per match is 2.86
Bournemouth have won three matches in a row
71% of Bournemouth matches end with both teams scoring, while the average total goals per match is 3.14
Manchester United vs Bournemouth: possible starting lineups
Manchester United play in a 1-4-2-3-1 formation (possible lineup): Lammens — Yoro, Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Shaw — Tielemans, Mainoo — Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Cunha — Mbeumo
Bournemouth play in a 1-4-2-3-1 formation (possible lineup): Petrovic — Smith, Hill, Antonio Silva, Truffert — Adams, Christie — Brooks, Ryan, Tavernier — Evanilson
