Champions League
Conference League
Premier League
Published on Apr, 12 2024
Manchester United hope to keep their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League alive on Saturday, when they face Bournemouth in Premier League action.
Erik ten Hag's team sit 11 points behind fourth-place Tottenham Hotspur coming into the weekend, making a shot at the top four unlikely with just seven games left to go. They are still in the race, though, and could really use a win over Bournemouth to keep themselves in the running. It will not be an easy task against the 12th place Cherries, though, who are just eight points behind United and have five wins in their last six.
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United might be coming off a surprise 2-2 draw over Liverpool, but let's not sugarcoat things -- this team is still as inconsistent as ever, and a win is never a sure thing even if it should be on paper. They are winless in three and have conceded an exorbitant 87 shots during that stretch, and now rank first in Europe's top five for most shots allowed so far this season. Ten Hag has embraced a strategy in which United absorb as much pressure as possible, which sometimes works and other times does not, so he may not be quick to change it for Saturday's game.
The good news for United is that they can still score in notable numbers, notching 12 goals in their last five games. Bruno Fernandes has been crucial during this run with three goals, while the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford have contributed two goals each during this stretch.
For United, conceding feels like a foregone conclusion so expect Bournemouth to keep things entertaining to some degree. They just might be able to cancel out their sloppiness in the back with effectiveness up top, so perhaps a draw feels like the right result out of this one. Pick: Bournemouth 1, Manchester United 1
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