English Premier
2023-12-09 - Manchester United vs Bournemouth
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 9th December 2023 - Kick Off 3pm
Manchester United
There was plenty of help offered by Chelsea, but Erik ten Hag made a couple of big decisions with his team selection and was rewarded with three points on Wednesday evening. His Manchester United team dominated the chances that were created in an entertaining 2-1 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford and the manager is hoping for the momentum to be built with another couple of matches to be played here in succession.
It was important for Manchester United to keep up with the race for the top four places in the Premier League after a poor effort at St James' Park last weekend. The three points earned against Chelsea means Manchester United are just 3 points behind 4th placed Manchester City, while they were able to improve the League record at Old Trafford to 5-0-3.
Manchester United have lost 1 of their last 5 games in all competitions and they have won 3 of those fixtures played. The side have won 4 of their last 6 games at Old Trafford in all competitions and Manchester United's recent Premier League form shows they have won 3 of their last 4 League fixtures here.
Raphael Varane has picked up an injury that will likely rule him out for this fixture. Victor Lindelof was replaced at half time on Wednesday, while Marcus Rashford may have to settle for a place on the bench again.
Bournemouth
The form guide shows that Bournemouth are only being outperformed by Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa over their last six Premier League matches and that means they can travel to the North West with some confidence this week. Andoni Iraola is clearly very happy with what he is seeing as manager of Bournemouth after a poor start to his tenure, and the 0-2 win at Crystal Palace has pushed them further away from the relegation zone.
The Cherries are up to 15th in the Premier League table and they have earned 16 points so far this season, which has put a nice buffer between Bournemouth and the relegation zone. They now have a 2-1-4 record away from home where the side have scored 10 goals and conceded 18.
Bournemouth have now lost 1 of their last 6 Premier League games and they have earned 13 points from a possible 18 to move away from the bottom three. They were thumped 6-1 in their last visit to the Manchester area, but Bournemouth have since won at Sheffield United and Crystal Palace and scored five goals in those victories.
Andoni Iraola is expected to have the same squad available to him that travelled to South London during the week.
Head to Head
Manchester United won both Premier League games against Bournemouth last season.
The 3-0 win at Old Trafford in January means Manchester United have won 4 in a row at home against Bournemouth.
Prediction
Erik ten Hag would have wanted his team to show the watching world that they are still behind him as manager of Manchester United and he could not have asked for much more on Wednesday.
The only criticism after the 2-1 win over Chelsea is the wastefulness of Manchester United in the final third having created some huge chances throughout the match. Better composure and decision making would have likely led to a big home win, while the early Penalty miss might have been more costly on another day.
Manchester United cannot deny that they were aided by some poor decision making by Chelsea, while the away team got into some strong positions in the final third before making some bad decisions of their own.
However, overall there is no denying that Manchester United deserved to win and they have won 4 of their last 6 games at Old Trafford in all competitions.
Despite the Premier League position, Bournemouth have to be respected as they travel to the North West with another three points earned, this time at Crystal Palace. That makes it back to back away wins for Bournemouth and they have won 4 of their last 6 Premier League games, which makes Andoni Iraola's team one of the most in-form teams in the Division.
The Spaniard will want his Bournemouth team to get forward and cause problems for Manchester United, but that may actually suit the home team.
Under their current manager, Bournemouth have scored away goals at Liverpool, Brentford, Brighton and Manchester City and Andoni Iraola has a reputation for wanting his teams to 'have a go' at opponents, regardless of their stature.
He will want to see that at Old Trafford too, but that should mean Manchester United have spaces to exploit after a confidence boosting win over Chelsea.
With the attacking qualities that Manchester United have, they can win a relatively high-scoring game at Old Trafford to further ease the pressure on Erik ten Hag. Bournemouth should help make it an entertaining fixture, but the home team may have a bit too much quality in the final third to make sure they beat The Cherries for a fifth successive time in front of their own fans.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Manchester United 3-1 Bournemouth
