There is one Friday night fixure as part of Premier League matchday 31: Manchester United visiting AFC Bournemouth. United are obviously favored, but not by a whole lot, as this will be a tricky fixture to be sure. Overall, the Red Devils squad fitness is looking pretty good right now, with just three current injury absentees: Patrick Dorgu, Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt.
After this match, United are actually off for almost an entire month.
Manchester United at AFC Bournemouth FYIs
Kickoff: Friday March 20, 8pm, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, UK
Premier League Standing: AFC Bournemouth 10th, 41 pts, Manchester United 3rd, 51 points
Google Probability: AFC Bournemouth win 31% Draw 25% Manchester United win 44%
Being eliminated from the FA Cup and having no UEFA competition to participate in, plus the March international break coming up means that their next match is April 13.
United Injury Updates
On that date, Leeds United comes in for a renewal of the Roses Rivalry.
Dorgu, Martinez and De Ligt are all ruled out for Friday night, with the trio are all targeting April 13 as a potential return date. De Ligt has a nagging lower back problem that has turned out to be much worse than initially thought.
The same can be said of Martinez’s foot problem. Initially, it was thought that he might only miss a game or two. It’s too bad, because the central defender has been very injury prone over the course of his United career.
Finally, with Dorgu, he’s been out since late January with a thigh/hamstring injury, and right after the March internationals has always been the target return date for him.
So we’ll see if Dorgu reaches that goal or not.
Cherries Team News
Switching over to the Bournemouth side, there is a new injury concern in American midfielder Tyler Adams. He has an unspecified/undisclosed issue that renders him a doubt for this match.
“Tyler felt something yesterday [in] training. It doesn’t look [like] anything too serious, but it’s true that for today [he] was out,” Cherries boss Andoni Iraola said on Saturday.
“And also, we are playing United in six days, so I cannot tell you if he’s going to be available or not. I think it’s going to be difficult.”
Otherwise the situation remains the same, with Lewis Cook (thigh) and Justin Kluivert (knee) remaining sidelined, with an April return most likely. Justin Soler also remains out with little information provided on his injury situation.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.