Bournemouth and Manchester United will be eager to return to winning ways when they face off at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday.
The curtains will temporarily fall on Gameweek 34 of the 2024/25 Premier League season on Sunday. Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will face off in the marquee fixture to end the day. However, the action will start with Bournemouth vs Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium before the ongoing round of fixtures ends on Thursday.
Bournemouth would have hoped to remain an outside contender to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, having been in and around the top five for several weeks. However, a run of one win in eight Premier League games has taken the Cherries from fifth to eighth on the table. That has left Andoni Iraola’s men eight points behind seventh-placed Aston Villa.
On the other hand, the Premier League campaign has been irrelevant in the grand scheme of things for the 2024/25 season, having lost a mind-boggling 15 games in 33 top-flight outings thus far. A dreadful start cost Erik ten Hag his job, with things going from bad to worse under Ruben Amorim. The Red Devils are 15th in the Premier League standings and can finish 17th by the time the season ends.
The reverse fixture saw Bournemouth cruise to a 3-0 win over Manchester United, with Dean Huijsen, Patrick Kluivert, and Antoine Semenyo finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
Andoni Iraola has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Bournemouth manager will be bereft of the services of only three first-team players vs Manchester United on Sunday.
Iraola has been sweating over Lewis Cook’s fitness, but the experienced English midfielder should be fit and available to take on Manchester United. However, Ryan Christie (groin), Luis Sinisterra (hamstring), and Enes Unal (knee) remain on the sidelines.
Kepa Arrizabalaga will take his spot between the sticks, with Bournemouth lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Sunday. The backline should feature Adam Smith, Illia Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen, and Milos Kerkez.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Lewis Cook and Tyler Adams in the double pivot. Justin Kluivert will reprise the no. 10 role, with Antoine Semenyo and Dango Ouattara being the two wide attackers. Finally, Evanilson will lead the line for Bournemouth against Manchester United on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Cook, Adams; Semenyo, Kluivert, Ouattara; Evanilson
Manchester United
Unlike his counterpart in the Bournemouth dugout, Ruben Amorim has a new issue to worry about ahead of the trip to the Vitality Stadium. The Manchester United manager will be without seven first-team players on Sunday.
Diogo Dalot is the latest absentee after picking up a calf injury that might keep him on the sidelines for the remainder of the 2024/25 season. The Portuguese international has joined Lisandro Martinez (knee), Matthijs de Ligt (ankle), Ayden Heaven (ankle), Toby Collyer (leg), Amad Diallo (ankle), and Joshua Zirkzee (thigh) on the sidelines.
Andre Onana is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Bournemouth on Sunday. The central defensive unit will feature Noussair Mazraoui, Harry Maguire, and Leny Yoro. Dalot’s absence means Patrick Dorgu should start as the right wing-back, with Harry Amass featuring on the left flank.
As for the midfield unit, Bruno Fernandes should return to the starting lineup to pair up with Manuel Ugarte in the middle of the park. Finally, Rasmus Hojlund will spearhead the Manchester United attack against Bournemouth, with Alejandro Garnacho and Mason Mount providing creative support.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Yoro; Dorgu, Ugarte, Bruno Fernandes, Amass; Mount, Garnacho; Hojlund
Key Stats
- The seven points Bournemouth have picked up in a three-match unbeaten run vs Manchester United is as many as they accumulated in their first 12 against the Red Devils (W2 D1 L9). The eight goals United have conceded in those three games is as many as they shipped in their previous 11 league matches versus the Cherries.
- Bournemouth’s tally of 49 points is their highest-ever figure in a top-flight campaign. The Cherries are aiming to record three successive top-flight clean sheets for the first time since November 2019. The third game in that run was a 1-0 home win over Manchester United.
- A defeat on Sunday will mark the first time that Manchester United will have lost 16 times in a Premier League campaign. They last lost that many top-flight matches in a season in 1989/90, when they were also beaten on 16 occasions.
- Manchester United have failed to score in 13 Premier League games this season, with only Everton (14) and Leicester City (15) exceeding that tally.
- Only Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool have managed more shots this season than Bournemouth, with the Cherries registering 526 attempts. They have hit the post 21 times in the top flight this season, a joint high with Liverpool.
Player to Watch
Bruno Fernandes
While Antoine Semenyo, Evanilson, and Rasmus Hojlund were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bruno Fernandes as the Player to Watch for Sunday’s Premier League clash between Bournemouth and Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium.
The Portuguese international has created 77 Premier League chances this season, with only Cole Palmer exceeding that tally before the latest round of fixtures. Fernandes is one shy of recording ten Premier League assists for the second time, having accumulated 12 in the 2020/21 campaign. The Manchester United captain will be eager to get into the groove ahead of the UEFA Europa League clash against Athletic Club with a top-notch performance vs Bournemouth.
Prediction
Bournemouth 1-0 Manchester United
Manchester United deserved something from the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with a much-changed side making a mark. Most regular starters will return on Sunday, which will pave the way for more threat in the final third. However, Rasmus Hojlund’s struggles might continue and help Bournemouth keep a clean sheet.
At the other end, Manchester United’s soft underbelly will cost the away side again, which should help Bournemouth clinch a narrow victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-0 win for Andoni Iraola and his charges.
The result means Bournemouth will become the sixth side to complete the league double over Manchester United this season, the most against the Red Devils in a campaign since 1933/34 and the highest in the top flight since nine in 1930/31.
