If you thought the English FA fixture congestion before the World Cup was bad, just wait until you experience the utter madness that is the scheduling pile-up after the break.
Between December 27 and Jan 14, a period of 18 days, United will play six different times, in three different competitions. 1-0 winners over Wolves today, thanks to Marcus Rashford coming off the bench to score the game winner, it is already time to preview the next match, a visit from AFC Bournemouth.
Manchester United vs AFC Bournemouth FYIs
Kickoff: Sat Dec 31, 12:30pm GMT, Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Probability: Man United Win 76% Draw 15% Bournemouth Win 9%
PL Standings: Man United 4th 32pts Bournemouth 15th, 16pts
PL Form: Man United WWWLW Bournemouth LLWLL
The team news, more or less, is pretty much the same as it was before the Wolves match, and you can reflect back on that here. The main observation/prediction here- look for Luke Shaw to continue on in the central defense role, instead of at his usual left back position.
Shaw needs to slot in there while the center backs position continues to heal up.
United Starting XI Prediction vs Bournemouth
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Shaw, Malacia; Fernandes, Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Martial, Rashford
Prediction: United 2, Bournemouth 0
Look for United to keep the ball rolling here against a vastly inferior opponent and keep on collecting three points per match.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager 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’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.