Manchester United will be eager to continue the recent unbeaten run when they welcome Bournemouth to Old Trafford on Monday.
The curtains will fall on Gameweek 16 of the 2025/26 season on Monday with Manchester United vs Bournemouth at Old Trafford. The Red Devils are eager to continue their climb through the table, and they can finish this round of fixtures in the fifth spot. On the other hand, the Cherries are desperate to arrest their slide after struggling to win a game for weeks.
Manchester United’s slow and arduous progress under Ruben Amorim continued in Gameweek 15, as a 4-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers took them to sixth in the Premier League standings. The Red Devils are now on a three-match unbeaten run, and Amorim will hope his charges can produce the intensity he demands to secure another crucial win over a struggling team.
On the other hand, Bournemouth’s excellent start to the 2025/26 season is a distant memory, as Andoni Iraola’s men have struggled to clinch a single victory since October. The Cherries are on a six-match winless run, and the run of results has taken them from second to 14th on the Premier League table.
The corresponding fixture in the 2024/25 season ended in a 3-0 win for Bournemouth, even though Manchester United dominated on most metrics apart from goals scored. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester United
Ruben Amorim may have three new roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Manchester United manager may be bereft of the services of as many as half a dozen first-team players on Monday.
Amorim is unsure if Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo will be available to take on Bournemouth ahead of their departures for the Africa Cup of Nations. Meanwhile, Harry Maguire (hamstring) and Matthijs de Ligt (lower back) remain in the treatment room. Benjamin Sesko may be a candidate for the bench if he regains enough fitness by Monday.
Senne Lammens 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 Monday. The central defensive unit will feature Noussair Mazraoui, Ayden Heaven, and Luke Shaw. Leny Yoro will replace Mazraoui if the Moroccan international has already left for AFCON.
Meanwhile, Amad Diallo and Diogo Dalot will start as the wing-backs, with Patrick Dorgu waiting in the wings if Amad is unavailable. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in the double pivot. Finally, Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount, and Bryan Mbeumo will form a dynamic offensive trifecta. Joshua Zirkzee will start if Mbeumo misses out.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Lammens; Mazraoui, Heaven, Shaw; Amad, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Dalot; Mbeumo, Mount; Cunha
Bournemouth
Unlike his counterpart in the Manchester United dugout, Andoni Iraola has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of the trip to Old Trafford. The Bournemouth manager may be without only five first-team players on Monday.
Tyler Adams is available after serving a suspension, while Marcos Senesi should be fit and ready to take on Manchester United. However, Veljko Milosavljevic (knee), Ben Doak (hamstring), and Ryan Christie (knee) remain in the treatment room. Meanwhile, Lewis Cook will complete his three-match ban on Monday.
Djordje Petrovic will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Bournemouth lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Monday. The backline will feature Adam Smith, Bafode Diakite, Marcos Senesi, and Adrien Truffert.
As for the midfield unit, the returning Tyler Adams will line up alongside Alex Scott in the double pivot. Marcus Tavernier will reprise the no. 10 role, with David Brooks and Antoine Semenyo being the two wide attackers. Finally, Evanilson will lead the line for Bournemouth against Manchester United on Monday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Smith, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Adams, Scott; Brooks, Tavernier, Semenyo; Evanilson
Key Stats
- Manchester United are winless in their last four Premier League games vs Bournemouth (D2 L2). That is more matches without a win than they had had in their first 12 meetings with Bournemouth (W9 D1 L2). The Cherries have won their last two Premier League away matches against Manchester United, beating them 3-0 both times. No side has ever won three successive ties away against the Red Devils in the top flight while scoring three or more goals each time.
- Manchester United have lost only one of their last nine Premier League games (W5 D3), going down 1-0 at home to Everton. They have won more points in these nine games (18) than they had in their previous 17 matches combined (16 – W4 D4 L9).
- Bournemouth are winless in their six most recent Premier League matches (D2 L4), last enduring a longer winless streak between December and February in the 2023/24 campaign (seven games).
- Manchester United have kept just one clean sheet in their 15 Premier League games this season, with only bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers keeping fewer (0). The Red Devils have recorded just six shutouts in 42 games under Ruben Amorim, with that ratio of 14.3% the joint-eighth lowest of any manager to take charge of 40+ games at a specific club.
- Bournemouth have failed to score in their two most recent Premier League games, last failing to score in three successive matches in their final three games of 2022/23 under Gary O’Neil. The Cherries have had just 18 shots in these two goalless games, compared to 46 in their two games beforehand.
Player to Watch
Bruno Fernandes
While Mason Mount, Antoine Semenyo, and David Brooks were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bruno Fernandes as the Player to Watch for Monday’s Premier League clash between Manchester United and Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
The Manchester United captain has been involved in eight goals in his last eight Premier League games, scoring two and assisting six. Against Wolverhampton Wanderers, he scored and assisted in the same Premier League game for the 16th time, with only Wayne Rooney (35), Ryan Giggs (22) and David Beckham (17) doing so more often for Manchester United.
Meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes has created more chances than any other player in the Premier League this season (45). The Portuguese international also leads the way for assists this term (6), despite only making his first one on October 19. So, it is no wonder that he is one of our captaincy choices for Gameweek 16.
Prediction
Manchester United 2-2 Bournemouth
Bournemouth may have looked toothless in recent outings, but visiting Old Trafford to take on Manchester United may provide the impetus for rediscovering the scoring touch. No matter what the Red Devils do, they are unable to keep a clean sheet this season, apart from the solitary success against Sunderland.
With even Wolverhampton Wanderers finding the back of the net against Manchester United, the visitors will fancy their prospects on Monday. That will pave the way for a closely contested affair and lead to another frustrating result at home for Manchester United after the defeat to Everton and the 1-1 draw with West Ham United. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 stalemate.
